My Name is Maya
by thats-all-you-know
Summary: Maya Moore was expecting the usual in her 6th year: study study study and of course, being invisible. But when, for no apparent reason, a certain blond-headed Slytherin is interested in her, she doesn't know how to act...
1. Chapter 1

Hey! This is my second story on fanfiction! I hope you enjoy this! Anything you recognise, J K Rowling owns, lucky woman! I wish I could own Draco Malfoy! ;P

So here we go!

My name is Maya. I'm sixteen years old. And there is only one word to describe me. Invisible. To all my peers and teachers in school that is. Not at home. My home life is fairly normal. I have both my parents and I have a little sister who is thirteen and a little brother who is nine. I am also a witch. Not one of those fancy purebloods who have a load of money, nope, but I am a half-blood, which to be honest, I pride myself on. I mean, it's like best of both worlds. My mum is a witch and she works in the Ministry of Magic and my dad is a muggle police man.

My sister, Lizzie and I both go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We are both Gryffindors but she is in third year and I am in sixth year. Hogwarts is the only Wizarding School in the country but the best in Europe.

I don't have a clue as to why I'm Gryffindor because I have none of the traits (bravery, courage and ambition... nuh huh definitely not me). I don't run off on wild adventures like Harry Potter and his two friends Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley. I tend to stick to the basic places, you know the ones, that's the Great Hall, the classrooms, the dorms, the common room and last but certainly not least, my sanctuary.

The Library. That's where I am now.

I put down my quill and re-read the Potions essay I had just finished. I smiled as I reached the bottom of the two foot long piece of parchment. If I didn't come second to top to the class with this (I could **never **beat Hermione, after all, she wasn't called the Best Witch of our age for nothing), I never would. I had spent four hours writing, re-writing, editing, taking noted and then finally re-writing it neatly. What else would I have to do on a Sunday evening? Hang with friends? What friends? I thought bitterly.

I yawned widely as I glanced at my watch. It was only 8 o'clock. That essay had really knocked the stuffing out of me.

After I shoved all of my work stuff into my rucksack, along with my precious copy of Pride and Prejudice, I started the 10 minute trek back to the Gryffindor Common Room.

Half way there, I turned one of the many corners of the castle only to walk straight into a wall.

"Ouff!" exclaimed the wall. Wait, walls couldn't talk...could they? From the position where I had landed (on my ass), I looked up straight into stormy grey eyes. They were gorgeous and I couldn't look away.

Once realizing that I had actually hurt myself (I could feel a shooting pain go up my back), I scrambled painfully to my feet.

"Ow" I muttered pathetically. I glanced up again and took in the shaggy blond hair that fell into the gorgeous stormy eyes. My eyes followed the shape of his straight nose down to his lips and across his strong jaw line. Draco Malfoy. In other words, the Slytherin Prince or Player. Draco Malfoy came from one of the oldest wizarding families. He was rich, gorgeous, could have any girl he wanted (which he did, one for every week) and he was cocky. It was known throughout the whole school that he hated muggleborns (more commonly known to him as mudbloods) and he hated Gryffindors. He thought of himself higher than anyone else in the whole school, even above a couple of the teachers.

Why wasn't he insulting me? Or glaring at me? Or having a go at me for walking into him? Wasn't he meant to be nasty, the ultimate Slytherin Prince?

"Are you ok?" He asked. But all I could think was Ummm...? I'm sure my eyes were the size of saucers.

"Uh yeah, well, um, no, not really uhhh..." I took a deep breath. "I mean, yes, I'm fine just a tad shocked, that's all, thanks."

I know I'm in Gryffindor and he's in Slytherin and we were meant to be enemies, but I had to treat him politely and with manners because after all, he had never done anything wrong to me, maybe others, but not me.

"Oh right, ok. What's your name? I've never seen you around here before, are you new?" I guess he saw me wince because confusion crossed his features. "What's wrong? Did you hurt yourself after all?"

I tried to lie, but there was something stopping me. So I blurted out the truth.

"It's just I've been here for six years, I started here the same year as you, I have been in most of your classes and I have even been your partner a couple of times in some lessons but you still don't know my name?" I asked.

I know I don't have any friends but I thought someone from my class for the past 6 years would be able to put a name to my face. Clearly not.

"Oh." He looked, surprisingly, kinda guilty. "But you didn't tell me, what's your name?" He looked me straight in the eye. My legs felt like they had turned to jelly. All I could think was he's so fit. I looked down at my feet to try and organise my scattered thoughts.

"Maya, my name is Maya."

"What house are you in?" His eyes were sceptical. I could hear what he was thinking: _Well, she's not Slytherin otherwise I would know who she was but I hope I haven't just wasted a conversation on a Gryffindor, maybe she's in Ravenclaw? _That was all he could be thinking.

Waiting to see the disgust on his face, I told him: "Gryffindor." I glanced up to see a frown mask his features.

"Oh. Right. Well, Maya, I got to get going now. I'll see you around." He walked past me with a wink.

"Um bye, Draco." I turned and looked back around the corner to see his retreating figure. I pulled my bag back onto my shoulder and trudged on back to the common room.

That had to be one of the weirdest things to have happened to me whilst I have been at Hogwarts.

The Slytherin Prince himself had spoken to me, Little Miss Invisible. And then looked guilty when he didn't know my name. Then, he _**winked **_at me, after finding out I'm in fact, in Gryffindor, so basically someone he was brought up to loathe. Could that get any more confusing?

When I finally reached the common room, I went up to the dorm, got in my pyjamas, got into bed and as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was asleep and dreaming of a certain blond-haired Slytherin...

I woke up the next morning to the sound of the rest of the girls in the dorm getting ready. I just laid there for about half an hour trying to open my eyes but failing each time. I listened as one after another, my dorm mates left the room. It was once when they all had gone down to breakfast then that I rolled out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. As I hopped in the shower, I tried to remember what my dream was about last night. It was something to do with Draco and trees. Merlin knows what it was. Perhaps he climbed a tree in my dream? That was the sort of thing my brain would conjure up; something totally weird and confusing. After I got out the shower and dried my hair with a beauty spell I had found in a Witch Weekly magazine, I put on my school uniform which was a skirt that came to just above the knee (I was not one of those slags that had their skirt so high that it was no longer than a belt), a blouse and a cardigan which had the Gryffindor crest on it. I put on some tights because it was kinda chilly and popped on my ballerina pumps. For finishing touches, I put on some foundation and some mascara (my limits) and left my hair down. I glanced at my appearance in the full length mirror. I wasn't skinny but I wasn't fat either. I'm just slim with curves. My hair was auburn and came down past my shoulder blades. I had deep blue eyes that at the moment were staring right back at me.

On my way down to breakfast, I wondered as to why I was making such an effort this morning, perhaps what had happened the night before was still fresh on my mind. I also wondered as to why the corridors were so empty. I felt dread creep into my tummy as I glanced down at my watch. I read 9:15am. Damn! That made me 15 minutes late and I still had to get down to the dungeons to get to Potions. Forgetting all about breakfast, I started running towards in the direction of the dungeons. On the way, I figured it all out in my head. It would take 10 minutes to get to the dungeons whilst walking so hopefully I would get there in half the time if I ran. But then I was facing points being docked and/or detention. Snape, as it was universally known, did not like Gryffindors. It's been a proven fact since Merlin knows how long.

I was panting heavily once I had reached the door; it had taken me 6 minutes. I took a deep breath, and opened the door.

"Ah, Miss Moore, nice of you to join us. Ten points from Gryffindor for your tardiness now please take a seat." Snape sneered. I sighed and looked around the classroom for a spare seat. Double Potions was shared with the Slytherins, so I looked over at the "Gryffindor side" and couldn't see any spare places. I spotted a seat and, without looking to see who was next to it, I sat down. I got out my book, a piece of parchment, a quill and ink bottle.

"So as I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted, we shall be making Ambrosia, which Miss Granger so _kindly _informed us, is a love potion which smells of the person's favourite things." Professor Snape droned on. I have never enjoyed Potions and I tended to zone out once I had found out what potion it was we were going to be studying. As I got more and more bored, I glanced to my left to see who I had sat next to and to my surprise it was, of course, Draco Malfoy. Typical.

I quickly looked back down at my parchment and began taking notes, hoping that he hadn't seen me and was too busy making eyes at Pansy Parkinson. I felt all of sudden angry and found myself planning the pug-faced girl's demise. What was this I was feeling? And why?

"Hi, Maya" I heard whispered next to me.

"Hi, Draco" I replied without looking up. Why was he talking to me?

"Miss Moore, would you please refrain from disrupting my class even further than you already have? Once more and it will be detention." I sighed again. I think have been told off more in this one lesson than I have in the rest of my schooling at Hogwarts.

I was surprised to see a piece of parchment in front of me when I looked down again. In beautiful, curling handwriting, it read:

_**Sorry about that. Anyway, how are you?**_

_Don't worry about it. I'm good if not a bit bored, you?_

I wrote back. I mean, yeah, having a short conversation last night was acceptable, if not a bit odd. But why was he starting a conversation in the middle of Potions in front of all him mates when he could be having a conversation with one of said mates?

_**I'm good too. I know Potions can get quite tedious can't it?**_

_Not to sound rude, but why are you talking to me? When you could be talking to one of your mates?_

I wrote because I really wanted to know why, of all the people in the room, he chose me to talk to.

_**Well, why not? And what mates?**_

_I dunno, because you don't know me really. And what do you mean what mates? There's Zabini, Goyle, Crabbe and um... Parkinson._

_**Well, having a conversation is a good way to start knowing someone, right? And what I meant by what mates was that yeah there's Zabini, but he can be a bit of prat, Goyle and Crabbe are like two baboons so they wouldn't even be smart enough to have a conversation with me, and Parkinson, just ewww, don't get me started on Parkinson.**_

_What do you mean, don't get me started on Parkinson, aren't you like, dating or something?_

_**Nope, no way! All she ever says is oooh, I love you soo much Drakie-poo! I mean c'mon, just yuck! **_

_LOL, then why were you making eyes at her just then? _

_**That was not making eyes at her! That was my 'hey-girl-your-my-exe-but-just-because-I'm-bored-I'll-look-at-you-so-you-do-something-stupid' look.**_

_Your what look?_

_**You know, when you stare at someone for so long then they get paranoid and then they do something really funny. It's a good past-time, you should try it someday.**_

_Umm, ok?_

_**LOL, so Miss Moore, as I said earlier, there is no better way to get to know someone than having a conversation, so what's your favourite colour?**_

_You didn't say that. But anyway, I can't tell you._

_**Why?**_

_Because then I would have to kill you._

_**Why?**_

_Because it isn't my house colour and then you will take the piss._

_**So what colour is it? I won't take the piss, promise.**_

_Ok. It's green._

_**Oh, interesting, the traitor of all Gryffindor because her favourite colour is green.**_

_Was that sarcastic?_

_**Haha, no, what made you think that?**_

_I dunno, I just got this inkling._

I smiled. This was rather fun. I thought he would be all moody and boring. But he was actually very funny and sweet. I watched as he bent over and scribbled something down. His hair fell in front of his eyes and what he was writing so I couldn't see.

_**LOL, ok, so what is your favourite food?**_

_That's easy. Pizza._

_**The food you hate?**_

_Anything from the sea._

_**Uh huh. What's your favourite subject?**_

_Charms._

_**Who's your favourite teacher?**_

_None. Ah, perhaps Dumbledore, but does he count as a teacher considering he doesn't teach us?_

_**Yeah, if you want. **_

"Miss Moore!" Snape bellowed. I jumped a mile. I looked up to see Professor Snape glaring at me, his face slightly red.

"That is it! Get out of my classroom right now and you will be serving detention with me tonight at 7 o'clock, don't be late, now GET OUT!" I quickly grabbed all my stuff. I was about to pick my parchment when Draco put his hand on my wrist.

"Sir, it was me as well, it wasn't just Maya, so shouldn't you send me out and make me serve detention?" Draco spoke up. I looked at him as if he were crazy. Like the rest of the class and the teacher as well.

"Very well, Mr Malfoy. Detention same time and you should leave the classroom." Draco packed up his stuff and followed me out the door.

As soon as I was out the door, I whirled and rounded on him.

"Why did you do that? You have to serve detention now!" I exclaimed all the while ignoring the fluttering that was going on in my tummy.

"Well, it was my fault you got sent out wasn't it?"

"Well, yeah, but why would you hand yourself in like that? For a Gryffindor, too?" I asked quietly.

"I..." He looked me intensely in the eye again. Then he turned less serious and smiled. A genuine smile, not the smirk everyone says he has. "So, I can now interrogate you out loud."

I groaned. Why was he so bloody interested? Nobody knows anything about me and to quite frankly it scares me to think that all the things I had kept to myself after all this time, I would be telling someone and not just someone, Draco Malfoy.

"Now, now, I'm not _that_ annoying am I?" He chuckled.

"Well no, it's just that no one knows these things about me..." I mumbled whilst looking down.

"Well now someone is. So do you have any brothers and sisters?"

"Yes, I have a younger sister, Lizzie, she's thirteen and a younger brother, Matthew, and he's nine."

"What's your favourite flavour?"

"Ummm, must be chocolate." I answered. If he was serious about this question lark then we were gonna be here a while. I slid down the wall and sat there whilst Draco sat down beside me and rattled off questions and me answering each.


	2. Chapter 2

Heya again, I don't actually know what everyone's reaction was to chapter 1 as I'm loading this straight after. So I hope you like it! P.S. If you recognise anything, chances are it isn't mine! J K Rowling rocks!

Over the next few weeks, Draco kept talking to me during Potions and whenever he got the opportunity to. I felt it was odd at first but was getting used to it. I even started enjoying the company. We weren't "friends" per say, just acquaintances, someone to say hello to in the corridors. Draco would never say anything to me if there were other Slytherins around though, which I found a bit off-putting.

I was walking to the Library one Saturday afternoon in mid-October when someone grabbed me from behind, put a hand over my mouth and dragged me to the nearest empty classroom. I screamed and thrashed around, trying to get out of the death grip my attacker had on my arm. My wand was in my jeans pockets so I couldn't reach it. I did the last thing that came to mind. I bit down hard onto the hand over my mouth. I refused to let go until the person had finally shoved me away and had to physically pull their hand out of my mouth. When I looked up to identify my kidnapper, I was met with a pug-like face. Pansy Parkinson. She had a group of about 6 Slytherin girls behind her as well. Shit.

"What do you want?" I spluttered. My question was met with a slap. I bit my lip to hold back the tears of pain as I drew my wand.

"Expelliarmus! Don't play games with me, mudblood!"

"Games?" I asked quietly. I didn't have a clue what she was on about but I got the impression she was furious about something and the best way to proceed was gently and carefully.

"Crucio! I said don't play games with me! You know what this is about!" She shrieked. I screamed and fell to the floor in the unbelievable torture. It felt as though I was being stabbed with a thousand knives all at once. Pansy lifted the curse almost instantly but it still had weakened me. She had used an Unforgiveable! She must seriously think I'm messing her around! I groaned as my joints ached in the after math of the curse. I understood know why it could turn someone crazy if used repeatedly. I tried to crawl to the door to escape from this lunatic but someone grabbed my hair and yanked me back. I whimpered as I thought through how I could possibly escape. It was a Saturday and it was reasonably warm, so most of the students would be out on the grounds. Only people like me and Hermione Granger would be going past this door to get to the Library.

"As I can tell we have an idiot on our hands, I will have explain in detail," Pansy said threateningly, "you want to steal Draco from me and I won't allow that to happen because we are meant to be together, so I thought I could make you so ugly that he won't be able to look at you without retching..." Pansy made an odd screeching noise that sounded like a cat was choking up a fur ball. I presume that's her laugh, scary...

"What uglier than you, you mean? Bloody miracle..." I muttered but unfortunately, she heard me and punched me hard in the face. For such a stupid girl, she can throw a good punch. I gasped as my right eye started throbbing painfully.

"Now, as I was saying, make you ugly, so we'll start with kicks, slaps, punches, pinches and then we'll going onto curses." I was scared stiff, this was going to hurt a lot. I discreetly looked around the room for my wand.

Pansy was advancing on me with her cronies and I didn't have time to think. I jumped up, ignoring the protesting aches in my joints and tried running towards the door.

"Immonbulus!" I feel flat on my face and I felt the tell-tale crunch of my nose breaking.

The next ten minutes, Pansy and her followers punched, slapped, kicked and pinched me, as they promised. I knew that when I finally got chance to look in the mirror, I would be covered in black and blue ugly bruises. That is if I survived this torture to actually see a mirror. Suddenly I felt very frightened for my life. I knew I was bleeding, from my noses and from my head. If they kept doing this then left me, I would die of loss of blood. To distract myself from the pain, I started to think through people's reaction to my death. My parents and siblings would be distraught. Especially my sister, we were best friends despite the age difference. But who else would be bothered about me dying? The teachers perhaps. And...Oh. The reason I would be dying. Draco Malfoy. Would he be upset? I think he might be, slightly. Everyone says he's a cold-hearted bastard, but really when you get to know him, he's really kind. So yes, I think Draco would be upset. I didn't want him to be upset because, to be honest, the past few weeks that we having been talking, I have started to have certain feelings for him. Like whenever I see him, there are butterflies in my tummy and I feel all warm and fuzzy. These were the thoughts that went through my head as I was being treated as a human punch bag. But, I found that the more I struggled against the curse that kept me immobilized, the more I hurt. So, I just laid there. I allowed myself to be beaten to a pulp by my crush's exe girlfriend.

Suddenly, over the raucous laughter, I heard rattling and shouting. Is that...? No, it can't be, I mean, why would it be? And he can't be here to help me because surely the Slytherin bimbos would have put a silencing charm on the room, wouldn't have they?

The next thing I knew, the door had been blown off its' hinges. And there, like my knight in shining armour, was Draco.

Our eyes met and I saw expressions flick over his face at an alarming rate. Confusion, worry, fear, fury.

"Parkinson, what are you doing?" He shouted at the girl who now stood away from me with her hands behind her back, looking at Draco in what seemed anticipation.

"I was only killing off this disgusting mudblood." She scrunched up her nose as if she smelt something revolting.

"Killing? You were going to kill her?" He asked her threateningly as he made his way over towards me. He knelt down and once realising I was immobilized, released the curse. I gasped as all the pain, that had been somewhat withheld by the curse, came flooding back.

"Are you alright? Is anything broken?" He whispered so Pansy couldn't hear.

"No, to both questions." I moaned.

"Of course I was going to kill her, things like that don't deserve the air it breaths!" Pansy screeched. "And anyway, with her out the way, you can be with me again."

Draco lifted me carefully from the stone floor. I whimpered as all the aches in my body made themselves known.

"Even if you did kill her, I would never go back with you." And with that Draco left the classroom, with me in his arms.

"How bad are you? How long were you there? Did she say why she attacked you?"

"She wanted me to stay away from you and that she would make me ugly so that when you looked at me, you would retch. Then you would get back together with her." I mumbled, close to losing consciousness.

"What exactly did she do to you?"

"She put the Cruciatus curse on me, then just punched, kicked, slapped and pinched me. I think I have a broken nose though..." I told him. I snuggled into his chest and gripped his shirt tightly as pain raced around my body.

"It wouldn't surprise me..." He muttered angrily. He was walking briskly to, I presume, the Hospital Wing.

He pushed some doors out of his path with his shoulders and put me on one of the beds gently.

"Oh Sweet Merlin! What on _earth_ happened here?" Madam Pomfrey came bustling out her office at the far end of the Hospital Wing.

"She was attacked by several other students; they put her under crucio and then proceeded to beat her up, Ma'am." Draco answered for me. I opened my heavy eyelids without realising I closed them. Draco was sat in the chair next to the bed, with blood on his shirt. He was looking at me with concern and when he noticed me looking at him, he gave a small smile and held my hand tightly.

"Oh my goodness! Well, it will take a good week for her to recover fully! What is your name, Miss?" The healer asked as she bustled around my bed, mixing potions here and there and forcing a disgusting green potion down my throat. I gagged and choked and tried to spit it back out again.

"Mr Malfoy, hold her down with her head back, will you?" Draco nodded and did as he was told. He held my head back but put his hand on a spot where Pansy had continually kicked me. I cried out and he quickly removed his hand to put under my throat instead. I swallowed the potion and laid back, defeated. Almost instantly, the pain vanished and was replaced by a warm numb feeling. I sighed contentedly.

"Madam Pomfrey, should I go get the Headmaster or at least report the attack?" Draco asked the nurse. Once he had the permission, he went off to Professor Dumbledore's office.

In his absence, Madam Pomfrey gave six other nasty looking and smelling potions to take to "get me all healed up".

Finally after a good quarter of an hour, Draco returned with Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall in tow. By this time, though, I was feeling rather sleepy thanks to the combination of the sun coming through the window, the pain I had gone through and, probably, the potions I had taken.

"Miss Moore, how are you feeling? Mr Malfoy has been telling me about the unfortunate event you experienced this afternoon. Do you mind retelling the story for me, please?" The Headmaster inquired kindly.

After retelling the story again, trying to give as much detail as possible, I was feeling exhausted. I was almost too tired to protest to yet another potion Madam Pomfrey was trying to give me.

"No, please Madam Pomfrey, I really don't need another potion!" I know I whined, but to be honest I couldn't care less.

"No, this is the last one Miss Moore, it is a sleeping potion, it will make you sleep until your body is strong enough to cope." I finally caved in after Draco intervened. And plus I didn't really want to go through the pain and boredom of healing. As I started to drift off, I grabbed Draco's hand and managed to say in the strongest voice I could:

"Go find my sister and tell her..."

Then everything went black.

BTW, I totally forgot to ask you to review! But do, please! IT MAKES ME HAPPY! Cheers xxxxxx


	3. Chapter 3

Everything was suddenly blindingly bright. I reached up to shield my eyes, but I couldn't. I tried again. Again, my arm was restrained. I looked down to slowly to see that my arms and legs were bound to my sides and I seemed to be hanging. I saw below my body was a terrifying drop. I quickly looked around me to find something to get me back to safer grounds...well any ground! Looking up, I saw that I was hanging from nothing at all; it's the man in a black cloak that is holding me up. I cannot see his face but by the way he held himself and by the way he was dressed, he doesn't look like a life-saver, more like a life-taker. I began to panic once I acknowledged the fact that my life is in the hands of this scary man. Not too good. Before and can even scream "No", the man dropped me and I was falling slowly, in a dream-like state, towards the cold looking water of the river below. But it was pleasant in a terrifying way, the wind blowing at me, the ground getting closer. It felt like I was flying, just flying...down. Just as I was to hit the water, the scene changed.

All the pain came back to me as I opened my eyes groggily but they were too heavy. My head seemed to be pounding and spinning at the same time. Not something I have felt before.

"Ugh..." I groaned. I felt like I had been trampled on by a herd of hippogriffs.

"You're awake!"

I heard a cry from somewhere to my right and I felt a slight pressure on my left hand. I tried again to open my eyes and this time I managed it. My little sister, Lizzie, was in the seat to the right of the hospital bed. She had tears in her eyes and I could see she hadn't been sleeping properly by the deep purple marks under her eyes. She was dressed scruffily in a big baggy jumper that I recognized was our favourite cousin's, Rick's. She was wearing a pair of light wash jeans and it made her look like she had been pulled through a hedge backwards. Not to mention her hair! So, all in all, Lizzie wasn't looking her best, my mixed up mind managed to decide. Which was odd for me to see as Lizzie usually prides herself on being well dressed and looking nice all the time.

"Lizzie, you worry too much..." I managed to mumble. But the words sounded slurred. I sighed in relief knowing that it was only me and my sister here to hear me make a fool of myself and slur like a drunk.

"Well, Malfoy told me briefly what happened but left out the details and you know me, my mind just conjured up the worst possible thing that could have happened and as you know, I'm quite dramatic and I worry a lot and when you didn't wake up for a week, I started getting _really _worried..." She rattled on and on. Lizzie often went into rants like this. But when she was worried, it was even worse. But even though there were several things in her long rant that I should have been worried about, there was one thing that was really bothering me.

"His name is Draco."

"What?" Lizzie asked, breathless still from her rant.

"I said his name is Draco, not Malfoy..." Then I groaned as my head seemed to worsen in pain. The pressure increased on my hand. I looked down at the hand between me and Lizzie. It took a minute to realise in my foggy brain that that one was my right. So I turned over onto my back and looked over at my left hand. I hadn't thought of looking my other side. And I should have considering it felt that there was something on it. I saw at pale long fingers grasping mine tightly. I followed the hand to the arm and up to the shoulder with my eyes. Whoever it was, was wearing a pale blue shirt with long sleeves that the person had tucked up to their elbows. Their arms were pale but strong. I presumed it was a boy because it would have to be one heck of a buff girl if it wasn't. It carried on my eyes' journey up over the boy's (or really buff girls') shoulder and up the neck and came across the person's face. Pointed chin, strong cheekbones and straight nose. Then I looked straight in stormy grey eyes partly covered by a bright blond fringe.

"Draco..." I mumbled and gave him a dazed and pain-filled smile.

I could feel every part of my body aching now. I could feel every kick, punch, slap as if Pansy was still beating me up now. I realized I didn't know what day it was, what time it was or even if Pansy and her followers got punished for what they did to me. I hope they did, they better have...

He smiled back and squeezed my hand gently. It felt as if my heart stopped and then started beating twice as fast as before.

"You gave me quite a fright there, Maya." He said gently as though even his words could cause me pain. I felt a fluttering in my tummy. Mmmm, he is so gorgeous and then I quickly shook my head to get rid of the indecent thoughts of Draco holding me in his arms, of him kissing me under a romantic full moon, of him presenting me with bouquet of red roses... _**Stop!**_

"How are you feeling, are you hurting any where?" He asked still in that soft voice that made me think of silk and honey and soft melted chocolate or smooth soft silk. I wish he talked to me like this all the time.

"I'm just...aching a bit." I winced as I tried to shrug. Damn, that may just have gave away how hurt I am, I thought, I don't want them to worry.

"You _are_ hurt! I'll go get Madam Pomfrey!" Lizzie exclaimed and once again I winced as her loud voice echoed through my head and seemed to amplify in volume each time round.

"No, Lizzie, don't..." I protested but she was too far away to hear me. I groaned again.

"What day is it?" I asked Draco after I'd cleared my throat.

"It's Sunday, you've been unconscious for a week," after seeing my shock at this, he hastily explained, " you lost a lot of blood and you were extremely weak from that and the curse, so it's only normal."

"What happened to Pansy?" I asked and noticed how his eyes tightened at her name. What was the matter?

"She got detention every weekend until the end of the year but after a letter from her parents, and I heard there was a long meeting, she's only got detention every Sunday, which I think is not enough. She should have been expelled..." He growled. He seemed to be really worked up about it so I gripped his hand tighter. I saw the frustration leave his eyes It was replaced by something that made his eyes light up and made them look all the more beautiful.

"When do you think I will be let out of here?" I asked to make conversation. Well, I always got tongue-tied around good-looking boys. I got the typical tongue-tied-and-say-something-stupid awkwardness. I was fully aware that Draco was still holding my hand. But I wasn't going to think about that otherwise I would start blushing.

"Well, hopefully in the next few days..." He paused. "Look, Maya, I just want to apologise for what happened to you..." He looked into my eyes and I could see that he was sincere.

"Why are you apologising? It wasn't you who beat me up, it was Pansy!" I exclaimed. Now that I had been awake for a while, I was gaining a bit of strength.

Before he could answer, Madam Pomfrey arrived with Lizzie at her heels.

"Miss Moore, nice to see those eyes open, quite a nasty ordeal that was! Now, how are you feeling? Any headaches, back pains?" She asked whilst bustling Draco out of her way. She leaned over and looked at the back of my head and started poking and prodding.

"I'm fine, Madam Pomfrey, really!" I lied. The truth was that I didn't want to stay in the Hospital Wing for another day.

"Hmmm, maybe..." She muttered, obviously distracted with what she was doing to the back of my head.

I didn't actually know the extent of my injuries but as soon as I was left alone with Draco next, I was going to find out.

"Miss Moore, I think that you can leave here this evening but you are not to go to classes tomorrow or the next day, if you wish, Mr Malfoy could keep you company. But you are going to be weak for a few days so you mustn't over exert yourself."

As Madam Pomfrey went back to her office, Lizzie also dismissed herself claiming that she had homework to finish before tomorrow. Draco was receiving the potions from Madam Pomfrey that I would need this week.

I carefully swivelled my legs round and off the bed. I steadily stood up and just stayed there trying to keep my balance. I was struggling to ignore the sharp pain in my ribs, the ache in all my limbs and the pounding in my head. After a couple of minutes, I managed to close the curtains around my bed so that I could get dressed in private. I noticed that Lizzie had brought me some clean clothes. It was my favourite lounging outfit: skinny jeans and a big baggy green jumper that was practically a dress on me. The sleeves came down so far that I had to turn them up three times so I could see my hands. After I got dressed I pulled back the curtain and sat on my bed to put on my scruffy converses. As I bent over to do up the laces, there was a sharp pain in my side that caused me to sit up and gasp. Tears sprung in my eyes.

"You shouldn't be leaving."

I jumped which caused another twinge in my ribs. I winced before I turned around. Draco was standing behind the chair on the other side of the bed. He had obviously only just got there, long enough to hear me gasp.

"Yeah, I agree, but I'm not staying here." I answered simply and decided to leave my laces undone.

I stood and grabbed the bag that had my clothes from last Saturday and the books I had been carrying to the Library. Swinging the bag over my shoulder caused pain to dart from the bottom of my spine up to the crown of my head. I dropped the bag quickly whilst keeping control of the unshed tears that were threatening to fall. I remained with my back to Draco, scared of his reaction.

"Could you carry my bag for me please?"

There was no answer but I heard my bag being picked up from by my feet. As we walked out the Hospital Wing, there was silence between us, but it was a comfortable one. I noticed how Draco was heading towards the Gryffindor common room. When we arrived at the portrait hole, after a silent journey, Draco spoke finally.

"Levitate your bags to your dorm then meet me back here, I have something to tell you."


	4. Chapter 4

I levitated my bag up to the dorm like he said and then made my way back out the portrait hole. I had to hobble as my back was still hurting. I wonder what he wanted to tell me. My mind wandered off into its' own fantasy. One where Draco was telling me that I was his dream girl... _**I really must stop this! **_I mean sure he was gorgeous and most girls in Hogwarts fancied him, but did I, Maya Moore, fancy the Slytherin Prince? I couldn't! But as I approached said Prince now, my heart started beating faster and I almost lost my breath when he flicked his fringe out of the way of his stormy eyes...

**I do fancy him. **

I kept a calm facade as I walked up to him but inside, I was on mode MELTDOWN. As I reached Draco, I could feel a slight blush working its' way up my face. It all slipped into place now, I understood why I like spending time with him, why I was so upset when Pansy said those things, why I felt so relieved when he came to my rescue, why I was so happy he was there when I woke up...

But what if that was what he wanted to talk to me about? That he had recognised that I fancied him before I realized myself and that he didn't return the feelings. Perhaps he was going to laugh at me then tell the whole school how weird I am.

The whole time that Draco was leading me somewhere, these thoughts went from speculation to absolute certainty. I was very scared and hurt and was trying very hard not to cry. I may have just realized that I fancied him but now I know that I have fancied him since that very first conversation in Potions.

"Where are we going Draco?" I asked in a quiet voice.

I realized my voice sounded like a whisper, but I had said it now so I couldn't change it. I saw him turn his head to look at me but when I turned to meet his gaze, he quickly looked straight ahead. This did nothing good to my whirlwind of hurtful thoughts of "he doesn't like me".

"We're going to a place where I go to when I need to be alone."

Was the only answer I got. So what did that mean? Merlin, boys were so cryptic! They never make any sense! I know that they would say the same about girls.

We were now in a part of the castle I had never seen before. I didn't even pay attention to how we got here as I was so busy with my thoughts. We were in a deserted stairway that was spiralling up and up. By the views from the window, I could tell that we were high up. Perhaps in one of the towers. I stopped at one of the windows to give my legs a break because they were hurting worse now.

I admired the view; it was beautiful from this angle. I could see the Forbidden Forest that was shimmering with its' leaves, they were gold and bronze. The Black Lake was a dark blue and looked like a huge sapphire. It really was a stunning picture. It reminded me how much I loved Hogwarts, I never wanted to leave.

"Maya?" Draco called.

"I'm coming, just give me a minute!" I called back. I heard his footsteps retreating back to the spot where I stopped.

"What's up? Why did you stop?"

"I could barely walk because, in case you forgot, I only just left the Hospital Wing!" I playfully snapped.

"Perhaps you shouldn't have left then, c'mon, it's not much further." He replied, deadpan.

That was odd; usually he would have laughed it off. Hmmm, what's going on in that head of his?

But he was right; it wasn't much further, just a little way of perhaps 200 stairs! I was quite grumpy by the time we got to where we were going (which to me just looked like a decrepit door), of which I still had no clue. Apart from the fact that it was basically Draco's "private place". OH! No no no no, not like _that! _I was blushing profusely once I arrived though. I forbid my thoughts to go in that direction. I couldn't help giggling at that.

Draco shot me a wary look; I suppose he heard me giggle. That just made me giggle more.

"Can I hear the joke?"

Oh _no_! He did not just ask that! If you haven't noticed yet, I have a tendency of saying what I think and blurting the truth around Draco. I looked at him with my eyes wide. Great, get ready with the cringes...

"I was thinking of this," I gestured to the door, " as your private place, but then thought of the other ways that that could be understood and well..." I trailed, blushing even more now, if that was possible.

It looked as though Draco had a faint flush to his cheeks. Then I did the worse thing possible and over thought what I just said. Ooops.

"Not that I think about...that part...of your body, it was a complete accident!"

Nope, over thinking wasn't the worse thing I could do, _saying that was_. I couldn't believe I said that! Perhaps if I spent more time with people and less with books, I probably wouldn't have said that. The look on his face, though, almost cracked me up!

His eyes were wide and his mouth was agape. He was stood, frozen to the spot. I laughed at his reaction.

"Having troubles, mate?" I asked innocently then punched his arm lightly.

Draco quickly rearranged his features and licked his lips. He pushed and held the door open for me.

"Shuddup" He growled. I laughed.

As I walked through the doorway, my breath caught in my throat. This had to be the simplest yet most beautiful room I had ever seen.

The room was bare apart from an old couch that was so used you couldn't see its' original colour. The walls were a pale blue that was just as faded as the couch. But what made it beautiful was the large arch, glass-less window that showed the setting sun in all its' colours. I wished I had a camera so I could show my parents. I wonder if anyone knew about this place apart from Draco, and now me.

While I was inspecting the room, Draco was pushing the sofa so that it was in front of the window. He then proceeded to gracefully lounge across it.

"Come sit with me?" He asked.

I walked towards him but hesitated at the edge of the couch. Draco grabbed my wrist and pulled me down so that I was sat on his lap. My heart was fluttering so fast that I was expecting it to tear out from my chest and fly around the room. I started to shiver from, what I kept telling myself, the cold. Draco wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him. I kept thinking: _I just died and gone to heaven._

"So you wanted to tell me something?" I managed to ask once my voice was, once again, steady.

"Um, yeah... but first are you hurting anywhere?" He asked from behind me.

Yes, I wanted to answer, my heart because you don't feel the same way about me.

"No, not really, I'm just a bit achy, that's all."

Hmmm, perhaps I could lie in his presence if I needed to.

"Ok, well, I'm just gonna have to get to the point because this has been bugging me for a long time now..."

_...this has been bugging me for a long time now..._

Bugging him? He basically just said that I've been bugging him for a long time. Tears sprung to my eyes and I struggled to get out of his hold. I _knew _he didn't feel the same way about me like I did him.

I doubled my efforts to get out off his grasp but he wouldn't let go. I had to get out of here before I started crying! A sob ripped through my throat.

Too late.

Almost so quickly that I couldn't register it, Draco had spun me around to face him. His face was grim and I could see hints of worry and pain in his eyes.

"What's the matter with you?" He asked and I could hear that he didn't want to know the answer.

"I have to go somewhere." I said while quickly wiping away tears.

"Look, I know it must be hard for you to hear this. But I thought you would be ok with it. But I don't understand why _you're _crying! I feel like crying myself and as a Malfoy, that is wrong for me to say so!" He burst out.

He couldn't understand why I was crying. He really must be immune to feelings then, but this upset me so much that I got mad. But he felt like crying. Was the thought of a filthy Mudblood fancying him that repulsive to him? A fresh wave of tears came and poured over my cheeks.

"You don't know why I'm crying? _You don't? _Then you really must be as heartless as they say you are!" I practically screamed at him.

"Heartless? Well, that's the whole reason why I wanted to talk to you in the first place! To prove that I'm not heartless!" He was shouting back at me.

"You _what_? How on earth do you figure that out?"

"Hang on a minute, what are you talking about?"

"Are you trying to be funny?" I asked menacingly. I can't believe that he thought that now was a time to be funny. But I'd answer the question anyway.

"We were discussing how you think it is so revolting to have a mudblood fancy you."

" What?" He asked.

"Oh, don't play games with me Malfoy!"

"No no, wait! Do you mean to say that you fancy me?" Draco held my face between his hands and carefully wiped the tears away. He seemed genuinely surprised.

"Yes, but what did you think we were talking about?" I asked.

I didn't get an answer. Draco had leaned over and was kissing me gently. I had never felt such sparks. There were tingles running up and down my back. The kiss was gentle and loving; I couldn't help myself, I wrapped my arms around his neck and my fingers wound themselves in his hair. Draco had one arm around my waist and his other hand was holding my cheek. He gently pulled me closer and I was really starting to lose all sense of reality until there was a sharp pain in my ribs. I pulled away to gasp. I regretted it almost instantly but the pain still hadn't gone away.

"What's wrong?" Draco, breathless, still, from the kiss. But when he saw my expression, which I could only guess was scrunched up in pain, he grew anxious. He grabbed my shoulders and laid me down on the sofa.

"Maya, please, what's wrong?" He asked worriedly as he knelt beside me.

But by then, the pain started to subside, I sighed and sat up.

"I'm alright; it's just a little twinge in my side, that's all." I reassured him.

"I really think you should go back to the Hospital Wing, angel."

That's so cute! He called me angel! But back to the situation at hand...

"NO! Of course not! I'm fine..." I told him.

"If you insist then but really Maya, if it's too much, you go back, promise me?"

"So, Draco, where does this leave us?" I asked timidly but dodging his question.

"Look, Maya, I brought you up here for a completely different reason than what just happened but I now know that you aren't going to like the what I have to say..." He said grimly.

"What is it?" I asked and gripped his hand, which was still on my cheek, tightly.

He pulled his hand out of mine and removed all contact from me. It seemed too...cold, informal... for me, how we were sat. He was sat at one end of the couch and I was at the other end.

"Well, I think its best, for you, if we're not involved in each other. With what happened with Pansy, I really feel like it's my fault, which it is, and I worry that if there is a next time, the person may be bigger and stronger and will hurt you worse than Pansy did..."

I could see what he was doing. He was trying to convince himself into staying away from me. Well that definitely not gonna happen, I wouldn't let it happen, even if it meant tying him up and hiding him in my trunk, I wasn't going to let him go now that I had him.

"Do you like me Draco?" I asked simply.

He turned to look at me in the eyes and scouted closer, taking my hands in his.

"I do, I have wanted you since the moment I knocked you to the ground, Maya".

"Then why are you adamant on pushing me away?"

"Because you will be safer away from me. I'm not sure if you know, but I am the son of a death eater and I am going to be one soon, too. I don't want you involved with someone like me..."

"Don't be foolish, and I know you don't _want _to be a death eater, if you do become one however, it would only be because you think that that is what is expected of you." I told him smartly.

But Draco was still sceptical and tried scouting away from me again; I just held on tighter. He took a deep sigh.

"I was just trying to let you down gently because I felt guilty that I was the reason you got hurt so I thought I'd play along and pretend to like you back so that you wouldn't be too crushed. Maya, I don't want to be involved with you..." He stood up and started to make his way to the door.

"Draco..." I pleaded. I felt like crying all over again.

He stopped halfway there and turned back, kissed me on the forehead then walked away. Away from me, away from the room, away from the tower. I felt so alone.

I sat, motionless, for about an hour and then the floodgates opened. They remained opened until they were bone dry.


	5. Chapter 5

_Dear Diary,_

_It's been a six days since the talk, I'm still replaying the ordeal over and over again. I can't comprehend how someone could be so cruel. He pretended to like me and kissed me, just to turn around to say that he didn't like me that way. Why were boys so confusing? He played me, that is what happened; he played me to...to what? He told me that he only played along because he felt guilty, so did he feel guilty or was he just saying that? Why did he kiss me and tell me that he "wanted" me, if he doesn't? Why didn't he just say, when he found out that I liked him, say: I'm sorry Maya, I don't feel the same way? _

_But no, he had to go mess up my head by kissing me and telling me he fancied me. Now my self esteem has rocketed...down. Perhaps he is laughing about me now, with his friends. With Pansy. Oh Merlin, I would be so hurt if that was his plan from the start..._

_But anyway, nothing else has happened really. I think that I'm drifting in a dreamlike state because I can't remember what has happened in classes for the past week, or even what I had for dinner just an hour ago. All I know for certain is that Draco hasn't spoken to me, looked at me or shown any sign that I exist. Perhaps this time, I am completely and literately invisible._

_Isn't that odd? How before when I was invisible, I was kinda alright with it, if not a little put out, but then I got some attention, and now that I'm going back to invisible, it hurts awfully._

_Perhaps it's time I made some friends. Now that's a scary thought..._

I sighed as I put my diary down. Everyone was still down in the Great Hall at dinner. I had grabbed something to eat in the kitchens earlier so that I could avoid the crouds. So now I had the dormitory to myself. I swiftly got changed into my pyjamas (a baggy t-shirt and shorts), hopped into my bed and pulled the curtains around.

Perhaps I could take that seriously and actually make some friends.

The next morning, I woke up and bit my lip nervously. I had been dreaming about making new friends but everyone just turned around and laughed at me. I prayed to Merlin that didn't happen in real life.

I looked over at my muggle alarm clock. It was charmed so that it could work at Hogwarts and at home; I'd had it since I was about 8 and loved it dearly, Lizzie thought it was hilarious that I could like a clock so much, but she just didn't understand my affection to the simple pink alarm clock. The yellow hands showed that it was 6 am; I cringed. Ugh, I wouldn't be able to get to sleep again now.

I decided to have a long hot shower. As I used up all the hot water, I, once again, thought over what Draco said to me just before he walked out of the Sunset Room, as I had started to call it. I had visited it often in the past week. It had become my haven and I had been lucky enough not to have come across Draco...uh-hum, I mean _Malfoy_.

I washed my hair with my favourite apple shampoo and conditioner. The familiar smell relaxed me and set me off the day with a smile on my face.

As I turned off the water, I thought through a game plan. I would start off in my safety zone, the Library, of course. Once I was dry and in my muggle clothes, which consisted of my favourite denim jeans and another one of my cousin's huge sweaters, it was 7 am. Wow, I must have used up quite a lot of the hot water, I hoped my dorm mates wouldn't be wanting a shower this morning...

I wandered down to the Great Hall for breakfast but just as I was walking down the stairs to the Entrance Hall, I tripped on one of my destroyed laces. I tumbled down the last dozen stairs until I came to a painful stop on the flagstones of the floor. I had a wave of deja vu as I laid on the cold stone, waiting for my head to stop spinning.

Ouch, I thought, thank goodness that it was early and there was no one around.

"Oh Merlin, are you alright?"

I take that last thought back.

I pushed up into a sitting position to see a boy and a girl kneeling beside me, looking concerned. They were both really similar, not just in looks but in expressions and the way they moved. They both had black loose curly hair, the boy's was down to his shoulders and the girl's down to her waist. Both pairs of eyes were a startling blue and seemed to sparkle.

They helped up and I found that it was just my head that I had hurt.

"I'm fine, thanks. Are you new here?" I found myself echoing Dr-_Malfoy's_ words all those weeks ago. But I could ask this question without hesitating because in all my years of invisibility, I had learnt to put a name to every face in my year and the one above and this pair looked my age or older. And anyway, I would remember their faces if I had seen them before; they had the ability to catch an eye and keep it there.

"Yes, we are new here. My name is Will and this is my twin sister, Savannah." The boy, Will, answered.

"Well, then, welcome to Hogwarts, my name is Maya. It's nice to meet you. What houses are you in or don't you know yet?" I asked politely. This could be good for Operation Time-To-Make-Some-Friends. I doubled my efforts to get to know them better and anyway, even though I fancied _someone_ else, Will was extremely good looking.

"Well, I'm in Gryffindor and Will is in Ravenclaw. What about you?" Savannah asked.

"Gryffindor."

Savannah grinned and I smiled back just as widely. This _is _good for Operation Time-To-... Well, you get the gist.

"Shall we go grab some breakfast? Or do you need to go see Professor Dumbledore first?"

"I think we should have breakfast first as we are a bit early for the meeting with the Headmaster and we could get to know eachother better, yeah?" Will suggested.

"Absolutely."

Here I was now, an hour or so later, outside Professor Dumbledore's office, waiting for the twins. Over breakfast, I had learned that they were purebloods but were not prejudiced against muggle-borns or half-bloods. They had been home schooled by their mother until now. They came to Hogwarts because their parents thought it would be best for them to have a normal teenage life and get some friends. They were sixteen like me and they had a older brother, Thomas, who was nineteen years old. In the end, I felt like I could write a whole book about them; but they were really nice people so I thought that they were keepers.

My high, from making friends, was starting to fade and my mind started drifting back in the direction that was blond, Slytherin and good looking.

I shook my head furiously against those thoughts, forcing them out of my head. I have to live for now, not _then _and not _him_, I kept telling myself.

Just as my mind started to disobey me, Will and Savannah came down the spiralling staircase. They were probably enough to keep my mind from that path.

"So, did it go ok?" I asked whilst falling into step with them.

"Yeah, it did. Could you give us a tour of the castle?" Savannah asked.

"Actually, could you show me to the Ravenclaw Tower so I could go find my dorm and get settled in please?" Will asked.

"Sure then I'll give you a tour, yeah, Savannah?"

"Of course."

It was now dinner and I had spent the whole day with Savannah. I got to know her so much better, she was so out-going which I felt was good for me as I might 'come out my shell' as the saying goes. There were many people coming up to us and got to know Savannah as well, whilst also learning my name. I thought it was ironic and I know it didn't go unnoticed by Savannah.

But not only were we both Gryffindors and currently friendless, we shared many interests also. We both liked Jane Austen's novels, for example, and we spent quite a lot of the afternoon talking about theories about the book and quoting some of the lines.

I was sat at the Gryffindor table next to Savannah, munching happily on lasagne. My happy bubble was burst when Savannah started asking questions though.

"Why didn't anyone know your name today? You aren't new too, are you?" She said after finishing her spaghetti bolognaise.

I paused chewing, then swallowed some lasagne that wasn't ready to be swallowed. That's what explained the stinging in my eyes, I lied to myself.

"Nope, I'm not new." I answered flippantly all the while ignoring her first question.

"So how long have you been coming to Hogwarts?"

"Since I was 11." I answered shortly. It may have sounded rude, but this wasn't a subject I took lightly to.

"Oh, c'mon, don't make me drag it out of you, please. Unless you don't want to talk about it... " Savannah whined. I normally thought it rather amusing but now I just needed to think.

Should I tell her that I have been invisible and that she was the first person to have talked to me since Malfoy, apart from the teachers, since I first came to this school?

Well, if I wanted her as a friend, then it might have to be necessary, you know, honesty, no secrets and what not...

"Well, I haven't really spoken to anyone about this so you'll be the first to know. Well, I started coming here when I was 11, so that was...um...five years ago and you and Will are the only people who know my first name apart from one other person. I've been invisible since first year. The people who I asked my name today would have forgotten it by now, I assure you." I told her grimly.

Did I do the right thing? Because she hasn't answered... Perhaps she's having second thoughts about wanting to be my friend now that she knew that I'm a freak and no one knows who I am... Ugh, she _still _hasn't answered!

But just as I was about to jump up to flee from the Great Hall, Savannah answered.

"That's awful."

That's all she has to—

"Well, who was the other person?"

Ok, I take that back.

"He isn't important." I answered swiftly. Unless she wanted to know _that _as well?

Savannah took hold of my shoulders and turned my so that my whole body was facing towards her. She gave me puppydog eyes.

"His name is Draco Malfoy." I sighed. Defeat is evil.

"Oh, a Malfoy, huh? I've heard of _them_..." Savannah said with a sly grin.

"Why are you looking like that?" I asked but my mind was elsewhere. I felt eyes on my back.

"Is there someone looking at me?" I asked before she got chance to answer the first question.

Savannah scanned the Hall not too discretely; I kept my head down, pretending to be engrossed in my dinner. I jumped and yelped when she elbowed me in the stomach after a few minutes.

"Scare you?" She sniggered. I playfully glared at her in response.

"Well, apart from my brother, there's that blond kiddie over at the Slytherin table, and that's it."

Blond? Slytherin? Before my mind caught up to tell me not to, I had swivelled round in my seat to search out the grey eyes, unless it was another blond kid in Slytherin... But my mind wasn't thinking logically.

My eyes locked onto a pair of silver sparkling orbs that were staring straight back at me. Once eye contact was made, I was sucked into the silvery grey. It took another little nudge from Savannah to pull me out of the trance I'd fallen into.

"You're staring!" She whispered into my ear and giggled. I shook my head.

"Are you finished?" I asked desperately trying to forget what just happened.

"Yup, let's go!" She replied and proceeded to drag me out the hall by my hand.

On the walk to the Tower, there was a comfortable silence. My thoughts were wandering as I looked out of the old windows, out to the dark grounds. It was starting to get darker earlier now as it was now the end of October. There was going to be a Halloween Ball this Saturday but, of course, no one had asked me to go with them yet abd there probably won't be any offers either. My thoughts soon went to the inevitable: Draco Malfoy.

I really was trying hard to get over the feelings I harbored for him but it was so difficult because everytime I saw him, even if he blanked me, I got butterflies in my tummy. But why couldn't I just forget about him? Or couldn't I just forget when he was kind to me and just remember how much I had been hurt when he left me? Try to blank him that way, by remembering the pain.

I stumbled through the portrait hole into the beautifully decorated common room. During my years at Hogwarts, I hadn't really spent much time in here as it was usually somewhere you go and hang out with mates; I rest my case.

I showed Savannah around the common room, she seemed pleased that she was sorted into Gryffindor, if not for the fact that we were a very honourable house, it was for the common room. We made our way up the stairs that led to the girls' dorms; when we walked in, I noticed the extra bed next to mine with a trunk at the bottom.

We both decided that we should retire to bed early so once we were both in pyjamas and sat on my bed with the curtains were pulled around with a silencing charm in place, conversation flared up again.

"So are you gonna tell me about Mr Malfoy or do I need to guess?" Savannah asked.

"Well, I may as well tell you, I s'pose but are you just gonna drop once you start making other friends?"

"Of course not, you're cool, Millie May." She answered and pushed me playfully.

"Millie May?" I asked through my giggles.

"Yeah, I've been wanting to call you that all day."

"Okay and I've been wanting to call you Savvie."

We looked at eachother and burst out laughing. It seemed a bit silly to be laughing over just that so perhaps it was the relief that I had made a friend.

"Right, I'll tell you about Malfoy..."


	6. Chapter 6

Before I realised it, it was Thursday morning. It was probably _early _morning but morning none the less. I don't know why, but since... erm, yeah... since the talk, I had been waking up earlier and earlier. It still stung to talk or think about him.

_But I have to accept his Highness' wishes, no matter how much I disagreed with them, _I thought bitterly.

But I mustn't think about him otherwise I'd just feel down. I had distractions now, in other words, friends. Also, Sav and I had agreed to go to Hogsmeade to get dresses for the Ball on Saturday. It would be the first time I had ever been to one of the school's events. I didn't attend Quidditch matches, Balls, parties in the common room or even the Triwizard tournament in Fourth Year. I just didn't feel comfortable sitting by myself watching something that I had no interest in. And dancing at the parties and Balls were _out of the picture_.

I looked at the clock and saw that it was 7 am. I decided to have a shower and then wake Savannah so she wouldn't be late. I got out my school uniform for after the shower and padded into the bathroom.

It wasn't a long shower but it was enough to wake me up. I was sure that after a coffee, I would be fully awake and ready to attack another day. I wonder if anyone would learn my name today, I thought idly as I pulled on my tights and skirt. After putting on my shirt, tie and shoes, I went about trying to wake up Savvie. She was a deep snoozer I learned. A thought popped into my head that made me giggle. I pulled out my wand and cast a non-verbal spell.

_Aguamenti_

There was a high pitch screech as the cold water hit it's target. I tried to hold in my laughter at the sight of Savvie but as she flicked her wet fringe out of her face, my resolve cracked. My laughter filled the dormitory. I was sure that the other girls were awake now so I hastily pushed Sav into the bathroom so she could have a shower before anyone else could get there.

Down at breakfast, Sav was pretending to ignore me. Pretending, you ask? Well, when I would take a piece of toast from her plate, she would slap my hand away. To me, that wasn't exactly ignoring, now was it?

When the mail came, an snowy white owl flew down to me with The Daily Prophet. The headline leaped out at me.

_**FAMILY OF FIVE MURDERED BY DEATH EATERS**_

I hastily read on to the article.

_Last night, the Mr Thomas Sprigg was found dead in his own home along with his wife, Karen and his three young children, a 9 yr old, 5 yr old and a 2 yr old. It is believed that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had been trying too recruit Mr Thomas Sprigg for the past five months, each time being declined. A close friend, who wishes to stay anonymous, claims that Mr Sprigg was a 'good man' and 'knew right from wrong'. Apparently, he was 'absolutely disgusted' when he was offered a position within He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's ranks._

_It has been discovered that the family was tortured by the Cruciatus Curse then murdered by the Killing Curse._

_It appears that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is more active since this is the fourth killing this week..._

I couldn't read on. What person could torture a child? Or anyone for that matter? It was completely and utterly disgusting! It was a monstrosity! I couldn't even find the words to describe how completely revolted I was. It made me furious that one person thought themself high enough to decide who could or couldn't live. You-Know-Who was going to get his match one day and when he was cold on the ground, only then would I be able to feel safe going out in public.

"Hey, Sav, stop ignoring me and read this..." I said and promptly shoved the paper in her face.

"Alright, don't get your knickers in—oh, that's awful!" Savannah covered her hand with her mouth.

"I know! How anybody could torture someone else totally alludes me, let alone a child!"

Savvie was silent as she read through the article but I was concentrating on the eyes that I could feel watching me. My head instinctively looked towards the Slytherin table and my eyes were caught in a staring contest with a pair of silver orbs.

_What was his problem now?_

Still with my eyes on his, I nodded towards the doors of the Great Hall. He nodded in response, got up and walked out.

"Sav, I just need to go somewhere. Do you know where you need to go for Transfiguration?"

"Sure, I'll see you later."

"See ya."

As I was making my way out of the hall, I noticed Will waving at me and I did a little wave back. Once out in the Entrance Hall, I looked around for blond hair. I didn't know what I was trying to achieve by talking to him, or even what I was going to say. I couldn't see him anywhere so I started to make my way in the direction of the Transfiguration classroom.

I had a wild sense of déjà-vu when I was pulled from the corridor into one of the unused classrooms that lined it.

"What the—!"

"You wanted to speak to me?" Draco said coldly as he leaned against the stone wall.

I blushed slightly and straightened myself, and my clothes, out.

"Yes, actually, but first, why did you feel the need to drag me into an empty classroom when this conversation could have been held in the corridor?" I asked curtly, still a bit shaken from the familiarity of the situation.

He simply brushed off my question with a sweep of his hand. It made me furious that he thought himself _superior _enough to do that, _who did he think he was? _Ok, perhaps I was over reacting but _still!_

"No time for that, just say what you have to say, Moore."

"Fine, _Malfoy, _don't get your knickers in a twist. Or do you wear a thong?" I huffed but I had to bite back laughter as he glared at me.

"What exactly is your problem though?" I demanded. "Last week, you do _that _then you stare at me in the Great Hall and now you're being all cold and Slytherin-y. Are you PMSing or something?"

"My problem is none of your business!" He answered fiercely as he stormed up to me so there was only about a foot between us. He was extremely intimidating from where I was standing as he was stood, leaning over me, with a furious expression on his face.

"Well, you're making it my business!" I shouted in his face but he didn't flinch back, he just look even more furious than before, if that was possible.

"How? How did I make this your business when it was _you_ that requested to speak to _me_!" He shouted back at me. I didn't have as much resolve as he did so I flinched back.

"Because of what you did, and said, last weekend..." I answered quietly, as if when he shouted at me, all my anger drained away.

"I was messing with you, Moore! Do you really think a Malfoy, a pureblood, would fall for someone like _you_, a half-blood? I was going along with it for fun, so don't get your hopes up!" He snapped at me.

I gasped at the cruelty of his words and tears welled up in my eyes. He stood back and observed me for a minute. Suddenly he sighed and pushed past me to get to the door.

"Hey, Draco, thanks for bringing me the same classroom to shout at me as Pansy did to kick my head in!" I called to him just before he reached the door. He didn't stop though, or do anything to show that he heard me.

_What a stuck up prat! _I thought furiously as I stormed out of the classroom and continued on my way to Transfiguration in a foul mood.

I was in a terrible mood all day after that ; not working during lessons, hardly eating, not talking to Savvie...

"Why exactly are you so moody today? You were fine at breakfast!" Savvie asked at dinner that evening, with a ridiculous amount of mashed potato in her mouth.

"I had a little white ferret bite me..." I answered, then instantly flinched away when Savvie started choking on the mashed potato. "Ewww, Sav!"

After a few minutes of choking and a large gulp of pumpkin juice, she was in a fit state to talk.

"Sorry, anyway, a white ferret? What the hell?"

I sighed, darn, she asked _so_ many questions.

"No, not _really _a white ferret, but someone who is _known_ as a ferret..." I glared at said ferret, who looked up to see my glare, got up and stormed out of the Hall. If I hadn't been so angry, I would have been proud of myself to be able to make him leave a room just by me glaring at him.

"Who—"

"Malfoy, Sav."

"Ooohhhh, right."

She didn't ask about what he had done to make me angry but just sat there in silence, biting her bottom lip.

"So what colour dress do you think you're going to go for, Millie?"

_Typical Sav! _I sighed.

After dinner, I went to the library, by myself, as I needed some time to think things over. I had the feeling that Malfoy had been talking, or hinting about something else whilst shouting at me. It was just a niggling doubt that had been bugging me all day. It was like as soon as I said 'problem', he wentoff on one.

I didn't actually need anything in the library, it was just that I hadn't been there for the past week and I (_don't laugh_!) missed it. So after I was in there for about ten minutes and had a short conversation with Madame Pince, I was on my way back to the common room. But halfway there, I decided to take a detour, just to kill the last of the frustration I was feeling.

I vowed to myself that I wouldn't think about _it, _shut out all thoughts and walk. I took advantage of the castle, it was only times like these that I noticed all the beauty of the castle. Usually I was rushing from lesson to lesson.

But now, I was walking through the dimly lit corridors, noticing portrait after portrait, view after view, statue after statue. I had read Hogwarts: A History several times so I wasn't ignorant towards all of the features.

After numbly walking aimlessly, subconsciously I started making my way back towards Gryffindor Tower. Just as I arrived at the portrait hole, I was stopped by someone grabbing my wrist. I gasped and had my wand out faster than I thought possible. That story I read this morning about the Death Eaters really had gotten to me.

"Hey, chillax, it's just me!" Will chuckled. I sighed in relief as I put my wand back in my pocket.

"What's up? It's past curfew, you shouldn't be out..." I said to break the ice. Even though I was best friends with his sister, I didn't know Will that well.

"Says you! I've been waiting here for the past hour for you." He said as he removed his hand from my wrist.

"Oh, sorry. So what is that you want?" I asked, shocked. Why the hell was he waiting for me?

"Will you go to the Halloween Ball with me?" He asked and put his hands in his pocket.

I stood there in shock. He was actually asking me...to go to the Ball with him? I thought it over. He was very good looking and he had got quite a bit of attention since coming here. But he was standing there like as if he already knew my answer, which bugged me quite a bit. He looked so self-assured that I would say yes that it made me want to say no just to see that assurance drop dead. But if I did that then I would be a loner at the Ball, as Savvie had a date. So...

"Sure, I'll go with you." I replied, offering a sweet smile.

"Brilliant!" And he swooped down to peck me on the lips.

I stood in shock. It was only a 'muah' kiss, but what made him think that, just because I said 'yes', he could kiss me? It made me so mad! I was still stood still when he walked off, whistling a cheery tune.

I hastily told the Fat Lady the password and stumbled into the common room. I stormed up to the dorm and saw Sav sat on my bed reading Witch Weekly.

"What's wrong with your own bed?" I asked lightly as if nothing was wrong.

I wandered around my section of the dormitory, picking up stranded clothes and putting them in the wardrobe. Should I tell her that I was going to the Ball with her twin brother and that I was furious with said twin brother because he thought that he could kiss me when he felt like it and that I was only going with said twin brother so that I wouldn't be by myself? Wow, talk about complicated.

"Hmm, it did sound complicated, and I'm not really that bothered if you're going with Will and I'm not really bothered if you like him or not, but you do have every right to be angry with him if he kissed you when you didn't want to be kissed, especially if he _only just_ asked you to go with him." Savvie said, sounding distracted.

I looked over at her. She was still reading her magazine.

"Can you read minds?" I asked carefully as I turned my back to her and put some of my shoes in the bottom of my wardrobe.

"Yup and I know that you argued with Draco Malfoy this morning." She answered.

I turned around and looked at her closely. She was _still _reading Witch Weekly. After a while of me staring at her, she glanced up and met my eyes.

"Really? How do you do it?" I asked, surprised that she hadn't told me this before.

Next thing I knew, Savvie was laughing uncontrollably. I stared at her in shock, and a little worried too. Has she had a potion or something?

"You...thought...hahahahahahahaha!" Was all she managed to get out. After about five minutes of hysterical laughter, Savvie was ready to share the joke but I still kept a worried watch on her and my wand close just in case.

"You were speaking out loud!" She giggled.

_Oh_.

How to feel stupid...

"Oh, well, um, yeah...How did you know I argued with Malfoy then?" I asked, trying to catch her out. Caught out of what, I didn't know.

"Because it was _so _obvious! You stare at him, nod to meet him outside, tell me that you have to go somewhere then you came back in a foul mood and then you blamed your mood on him. It was kinda easy to guess."

Well, if you put it like that...

"Alright, smarty-pants. Who knew you were so perspective?" I said.

"I have a tendency to surprise..."

"Right anyway, I'm tired, get off of my bed."

"Alright, Millie May!" She hopped off my bed and leaped on her own.

"G'night, Sav."

"Night, Mrs Malfoy."

"Shut up!"

"I know you like him..." She giggled.

I sighed deeply, remembering what Malfoy said this morning. I fell asleep with tears on my cheeks.


	7. Chapter 7

**Heya guys! I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who has read so far and reviewed, I appreciate it! Keep the reviews coming please! I only own Maya and her family, Sav and her family and the plot, the rest is J K Rowlings**

"COME ON, SLEEPY BONES!" I shouted straight into Savannah's ear. I stepped back to see if it worked.

Nope. _How can she do that?_

I was immensely frustrated as it 10am on Saturday and I was eager to get to Hogsmeade before all the nice dresses were taken. For someone who had been talking about getting 'the best dress available', I was surprised that Savvie wasn't awake at 7am this morning. The carriages had already left for the village about an hour ago. So not only were we late getting to the shops, we had to walk there in the pouring rain.

Even though I had never been to a Ball before, I was actually rather excited. My date wasn't exactly who I wanted, but who I wanted as my date was off the chart. All week, Sav had been chatting about the Ball and her enthusiasm had rubbed off on me. I didn't know what kind of dress I was going to get and that's why I wanted to get there early.

I turned back to Savannah, who was snoring lightly in her bed. I pulled the covers off of her and there was still no reaction.

_Right, _I thought, _you want to be like that, take this!_

_Aguamenti_

"Ugh! Could you _stop _doing that!" Savvie wailed in a girly high-pitched voice, shivering from the freezing water I had splashed on her.

"Ugh, could you stop sleeping so long!" I mimicked her voice.

"Millie, I'm cold!" Sav whined beside me.

We were halfway to Hogsmeade and she had been complaining the whole time. I was very tempted to put a Silencing charm on her.

"Well you shouldn't have worn a short skirt then, should you? Especially with no tights or anything!"

Savannah had insisted on wearing a short denim skirt with little ballet pumps, despite me warning her about the weather. She simply looked out the window, saw the gale and rain and said that it was better to be fashionable and cold rather than unfashionable and laughed at. I pointed out that jeans were fashionable and also kept her warm. She shrugged and straightened her skirt whilst I looked on with amazement at her stupidity. I, however, was dressed in jeans and a simple black long sleeved top. At least I managed to persuade her to wear a coat, like me.

"But it looks nice! And my feet are so cold, I think my toes will fall off!" Before I even had time to answer this round of complaints, she was off again.

"And I'm sooo hungry and thirsty!"

"Oh Merlin, are you _ever _gonna stop your moaning?"

"Yes, but only when we get inside a shop. Now where was I? Oh, yeah... _I'm hungry!_"

I almost pushed her into the hedge. How could anyone screech that loud?

"Shut up!" Finally, the shops were visible.

"Right," I said, "do you want to eat first or what?"

"FOOD!"

"Alright, alright..." I started making my way towards the Three Broomsticks.

The pub was packed, the majority of the tables were taken already. I quickly hushed Savvie over to a free table.

"What can I get you ladies?" A young waiter asked. Since when did the Three Broomsticks have waiters?

"Steak and chips, please." Sav answered eagerly.

"Could you make that two?" I added.

"Sure, what drinks would you like?" He asked after jotting down our order in his notepad.

"Two butterbeers, please." I hastily answered before we got kicked out due to Savannah asking for alcohol.

"Coming right up."

I relaxed back into my seat after I took off my soaking wet coat. I was the smart one and picked a coat with a hood, whereas Sav, well, didn't. I looked over at her, she was wet right through and shivering. For my first friend, she was quite an oddball. I held back in amusement for a little while longer, then sighed and cast a drying spell on her.

"Cheers."

"Welcome, anyway, is Jack here?" I asked to make conversation. Jack Collins was the boy that had asked her to the Halloween Ball. He was in Ravenclaw and hung around with Will.

"No, he and Will have Quidditch practice." She answered lightly but there was a slight tightening of her eyes as she said her brother's name.

"What is it?" I asked curiously.

"It's just Will, he's made a decision that I don't agree with, that's all." Sav answered shortly. I decided to drop it as it was clear that she didn't want to discuss it.

"How is it with Jack though? Are you just going to the Ball together or is it like the start of a relationship, do you think?"

"I hope that it will develop into something more because, even if I haven't been here very long, I think he's a really nice guy. He's someone who is good for me and the kind of guy I would like to end up being with." She answered and a slight flush appeared on her cheeks.

"Hmm, deep." I noted. They were a good couple and he was a nice guy. After the obvious I'm-sorry-I-don't-know-your-name conversation, he didn't forget my name, he occasionally hung out with us. He was really cheerful and always made me laugh, which was nice.

"What about you, do you even like Will?"She smirked.

"Do you want the truth or a lovely lie?" I asked timidly.

"Truth." Sav grinned.

"Fine." I took a deep breath. "He's very nice but I don't feel anything towards him but friendship. I _know _I can't exactly be picky but I dunno, it doesn't feel like I like him, does that make sense? Are you mad with me?" I asked, unsure to how she would react.

"Thank Merlin!" I jumped at her exclamation. People had turned to look at us and I recognised half of them from school. Upon seeing us, they turned back around to their own tables.

"Well, " she said in a quieter voice, " if you fancied him and then became a couple then it would just be really weird for me, wouldn't it?"

"Well, yeah, I suppose?" I answered, unsure.

After stuffing our faces, we made our way towards the dress store. It was packed with squealing girls and I had to duck several times so that I didn't get poked in the eye by hangers. It was unbelievably overwhelming being in such a busy shop, as it wasn't exactly a big place. The walls were lined with racks that had dresses on them. Dresses of all the colours I could think of and all sorts of lengths and styles. In contrast to the weather outside, the store was bright, colourful and _hot. _I could barely breathe from how warm and stuffy it was in there. In the first five minutes, I think I was shoved about twelve times.

I endured half an hour of the suffocating boutique but decided I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't even concentrate on finding the 'perfect' dress in here. With my amazing new girl sign language, I told Savvie that I was going outside and that I would see her back at the castle later.

After a struggle getting out of the store (in the end I got down on my hands and knees and crawled, _don't laugh, _it was like a battlefield in there!), I started walking aimlessly without thinking about where I was going. I wasn't even thinking about much, just how the raindrops felt splashing against my raincoat.

I didn't really notice how the shops had stopped and the houses were more far apart than in the high street of the village. It started raining harder so I looked around where I was to find temporary shelter until the rain died off a bit. I noticed a small shop and rushed towards it, cursing the rain under my breath.

I didn't notice the name of the store. But when I got through the door, I saw that there was jewellery and some dresses, along with shoes, bags and make up. And it was empty.

_How odd, a shop that sold dresses was empty when the Halloween Ball was coming up, _I thought to myself.

There was a young woman behind the counter reading Witch Weekly, when the bell over the door chimed announcing a customer, she look up with a welcoming smile on her face.

"Welcome to Kara's Witch wear for special occasions, my name is Caroline, would you like any help?"

"Hello, um, no thanks, I'm just looking at the moment." I answered shyly.

She went back to reading her magazine as I started browsing. There was about thirty dresses for me to choose from but after looking through them, I saw the dress for me. It was emerald coloured silk and had moonstone embroidery on the fitted top. The skirt reminded me of the skirts from the 50's. It puffed out at the waist and came down to my knees where it stood a good two feet away y from my body. I grabbed the dress off the rack and spun around to ask the lady if there was any changing rooms here, but there at the counter, was the last person I wanted to see right now. When had _he _come in? I didn't here the chime of the bell over the door.

He turned with a sneer on his face.

"Moore." He nodded.

"Malfoy." I replied coldly.

He nodded to the shop assistant and stalked out the store. I shook my head slightly and turned back to Caroline.

"Do you have fitting rooms?"

"Sure, we have a back room." She replied with a smile.

The dress looked even better on than it did on the rack, if I did say so myself. It made my curves look more curvy, if that makes sense. But all of a sudden, reality hit. How much was it? It's not that my family was poor but I didn't really want to ask my parents to pay for it. I looked all over for the price tag and didn't find one, but it _must _be expensive, a good quality dress like this.

I sighed with resignation as I slipped off the dress and put it back on the hanger. But I would ask for the price anyway, just in case by some miracle it was in the sale. But I strongly doubted it.

Back at the front of the store, I pulled the shop assistant to one side.

"How much is this dress?" I asked politely.

"It's already been paid for, Miss." She answered.

"Excuse me?"

"The gentleman that came in earlier said that whatever you chose, I must send the bill to him."

"WHAT?"

"He said you would react like this and he also said that if you put the dress back and insist that you wouldn't take it, I have to send it to him instead."

"That...!" I couldn't find the words to express my shock and fury. What was he up to now?

"So would you like to look at the shoes now, Miss? And the jewellery?" Caroline asked sweetly.

"Um, sure..." Now what do I do? I so desperately want that dress! Oh Merlin, why did he have to complicate everything? I sighed, maybe it was fate that was making me having that dress so darn difficult.

"You know what, I can't take it." I told Caroline and started making my way out of the shop.

"Please take it." She said quietly just as I reached the door. I turned and she was looking disappointed.

" I can't..."

"He said that if you took it from here then he would pay me 100 galleons as a tip. And I really need the money. I'm a single mum to a 3 year old and I'm only nineteen myself. Please." She looked at me with gleaming eyes and I knew she was on the brink of tears.

I took a deep breath, god I felt guilty.

"Fine, I'll take it." I said finally.

"Oh thank you!" Caroline exclaimed.

When I got back to the castle about an hour later, I hunted down the blond hair that I wanted to rip from the skull of it's owner. On the walk back, my fury grew with each step. So he was playing games with me now, was he? Well, I'd show him that he was messing with the wrong girl!

I started towards the library but halfway there, I ran into the person I was thinking violent thoughts towards. No, literately ran into the _evil little ferret_.

"Moore." He said and offered me a hand to help me up.

I ignored his hand and got up by myself.

"Malfoy, what were you thinking?" I demanded. I must have sounded so ungrateful so I cleared my throat and tried again. "I mean, thank you, but you can't just go around doing things like that!" There, that sounded better.

"I wanted to."

Huh? Was he crazy? Just a few days ago he was looking at me, disgusted and now he was buying me a frigging dress.

"What?" I asked, totally exasperated.

"I said I wanted to."

"But why? You can't stand me!" I almost shouted.

"I didn't say that, but if you really want to know why, it's because people are saying that we are dating, which is completely _untrue_, but I had to have you looking your best, just in case!" He growled.

"Well, tough shit, I'm not wearing it, I only got it because the girl got a tip if I did!"

"Why won't you wear it?" He asked sounding confused, even his sneer disappeared from his face.

"Because it, well, it makes me feel inferior if I do accept it." I said truthfully.

"Wear it." He said. He didn't say it tenderly but he didn't say it in a threatening way either, he simply said it.

"No, I'll only wear it if you let me pay you back."

"Oh c'mon, can't you just accept a gift, Maya?" He fumed.

I noticed with an electric shock that this was the first time he had said my name since the talk.

"No, I'll pay you back but it'll have to be monthly, I'm afraid, I don't have that many savings." I said, my anger swept away when he said my name.

"Fine, you be stubborn."

"Fine, I will be."

I walked off in the opposite direction, back towards the common room so that I could start getting ready.

**Thanks for reading, now please make my day by reviewing! Cheers xxxx**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you for reading this far, I appreciate it very much! I'd also like to thank all the wonderful people who has reviewed, you're stars! And the people who has subscribed to either me, or My Name Is Maya, or both! Also, I'd like to say that I have a facebook account dedicated to my writing, search in Emily Georgia and if you request, just say you're from FanFiction: I have other writing projects on there too... So thanks for reading me babbling!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognise from the books, that's all J K Rowlings!**

Once I was up in the dormitory, I realised I had no shoes or jewellery, and I had no idea what to do with my hair and make up.

"Savvie!" I shouted to find out where she was.

"Here!" A voice called back from the bathroom.

"Sav, EMERGENCY!" I called in response.

I heard a stumbling then a thump. The bathroom door open revealing Sav in a towel with half her make up done.

"What? What's happened? _Oh no_, you're not pregnant are you? Oh god, you are, aren't you? Oh, that's not _that _bad! Can I be the godmother? OH MY GOD! Who's the father? Is it Will? No, it can't be Will! It's Draco! That's brill, I knew you loved him!" Sav gushed.

"Sav?"

"Yeah?" She answered.

"Shut up." I said, totally not amused by her presumptions.

"Ok, so you're not pregnant then?" She asked, looking at me with wide eyes.

"No, I am definitely not pregnant. It's just that I've got a dress but no shoes, no make up and I have _no idea _what to do with my hair!" I whined.

"Oh god, this is worse than being pregnant!" Savannah exclaimed. I looked at her, questioning her logic but decided to let it go. The girl's mind didn't work like anybody else's.

"Right, so what should I do?" I asked, the panic working it's way up my body.

"Go take a shower and put your dress on and let me worry about the rest. I'll just finish my make up and put my dress on then I will look for shoes for you. By the way, don't fret about make up and hair, I've got it covered." She reassured me all the while gently nudging me towards the bathroom.

I allowed myself to be guided towards the bathroom to take a hot shower.

"You look amazing, Millie." Savvie said whilst standing beside me in front the mirror. I really did like it when she called me Millie, even though it wasn't my real name, I felt it was like my pet name. At home, my family called me Maze, which I also liked. The thing with my name, I found, was that it was too similar to the word 'mayonnaise' and it made me feel like a salad dressing, don't ask why, I don't actually know why.

"Thanks, hon, you look stunning yourself." I replied, and she did. We both looked great. The mirror showed two girls dressed in their best, one in a green silk dress with moonstones on and the other in a floor length purple dress that accentuated her curves. Savannah had found me a pair of white peep shoes at the bottom of her trunk that brought out the colour of the moonstones. She had done my hair and it now fell in lose ringlets with a few silver slides in it. And well, my make up, you couldn't even tell I had any on! Although my skin did look flawless like a model's and my eyes looked twice the size... Ok, perhaps you _could _tell...

Savvie beat me though, she had straightened her black hair and it hung pin straight and glossy to her waist. She had opted for a natural look in her make up as well, like she had done for me. Her eyes stood out thanks to her black eye liner though...

"We're gonna knock 'em dead." Sav stated. I couldn't help it; I started to giggle and soon we were both in hysterics. We quickly composed ourselves just in case we ruined our outfits.

We made our way down to the Entrance Hall, where we arranged to meet our dates. It looked like that was everyone's idea because it was full of students dressed in their best.

There were dresses of every colour you could think of and the boys were looking smart in their tux and dress robes.

"Look, there they are!" Sav shouted into my ear to make herself heard over the row in the Hall.

We made our way over to Will and Jack. I looked away as Jack and Sav kissed 'hello'. Will took my hand and kissed it, which made me extremely uncomfortable, but I didn't say anything.

"How are you tonight, my fair lady?" He asked me, leaning in too close. I instinctively stepped back but he just kept smiling.

"I'm fine, thank you. How about you?" I asked to distract him because he just kept stepping too close to me. I couldn't get very far from him because the Entrance Hall was so crowded.

"We can't go into the Great Hall yet, the doors are gonna open at 8pm and it's ten to now." Will told me, stepping closer still so our bodies were only a couple of centimetres from touching. I looked around for Sav, but I couldn't see her anywhere. Or Jack for that matter. They were probably off snogging somewhere.

"Oh, right." I was still scanning the Hall.

"Who are you looking for?" Will asked and he put his arm around my waist. I tried to pull out of his grasp but he just dug his nails into my back.

All of a sudden, I was pulled out from him arm and pushed to one side and Draco was whispering something to Will. He was stood in between us, facing towards Will so I couldn't see his face. The two boys were having a whispered argument, clearly trying not to attract any attention from the other people in the Hall who had started filtering closer to the doors of the Great Hall so that they could be first in.

Draco smelled gorgeous and I fought the urge to lean closer to smell him. If I did that, I think it would look a bit...odd...

The next minute the gorgeous smell of green apples was gone. Draco had hastily walked away and Will was stood there, opposite me, grinning like a Cheshire Cat but I could see the frustration in his eyes.

"What did he say to you?" I asked, a little unsteady from the ordeal.

"Nothing important, do you want us to start making our way towards the doors?" He asked but he didn't try to stand closer to me like he did earlier.

I _would _find out what Draco said. It would become my mission. But I hooked arms with Will, despite me feeling like I wanted to run the other way, and started making my way towards the Great Hall.

After another five minutes of waiting in which I cleverly kept myself busy pretending to do up my shoe to avoid talking to Will, the doors were opened. I hung back so that I wouldn't get trampled on and Will waited with me. Once everything quietened down, we made our way in.

The decorations took my breath away. The four tables of the houses were gone and was replaced by little tables covered in black tablecloths around the sidelines. There was an open space that was obviously meant to be the dance floor but at the time being, nobody was dancing even though the band, that was on the stage where the teacher's table usually was, had already started playing some music. It was a mix of muggle songs and wizard songs. Above the dance floor, there was lots of glittery cobwebs hanging from nowhere. The ceiling showed the clear sky and stars. On each of the tables was a Jack-O-Lantern with a candle inside. Everywhere I looked, it glowed from the light of floating candles that were several feet above our heads. It looked magical.

_Well, _I thought ironically, _it probably is because of magic..._

Will lead me by the arm towards the snack table and poured me a punch.

"Are you not having one?" I asked as we moved away from the table.

"Nope, there's some seventh years giving out firewhisky but I thought you'd want punch." He shouted over the music. I thought it was rather funny how he had shouted that there was alcohol available with a few teachers near by, but he clearly didn't think anything about it.

"You're right, I don't wanna get drunk, thanks."

"It wouldn't kill you to have a drink though you know." He told me.

"Um, yeah maybe it wouldn't kill me, but if I got drunk, I wouldn't be in control of my actions, now would I?" I answered.

"What's so bad about that?" He asked as he took my drink, put it on a table and pulled me out to the dance floor. He put his arms loosely around my waist, I reached up to put my arms on his shoulders; it made me a little uncomfortable but I told myself to suck it up.

"Well, I could be convinced to do things that I wouldn't normally do."

"Ah well." He muttered looking over my shoulder. I only just realized how short I was compared with him. He was towering over me at perhaps 6 ft something whilst I was 5 ft 5. I never really thought I was short before apart from when I stood next to Sav, who was 5ft10. But I didn't mind my height, it wasn't an issue. I was however self conscious of the things that come out my mouth; I had a tendency to say silly things now and again, and I didn't really like lying very much. Also, I never wanted anyone thinking badly of me; before this wasn't an issue because nobody knew me to think badly of me, whereas now, I had a few more people who knew my name.

We danced for about half an hour before we went to sit at one of the little tables with Sav and Jack who had appeared out of nowhere. I was starting to worry about Will, and it looked like Sav was as well. He had had several glasses of firewhisky now. I didn't know how he did it, I couldn't drink the stuff; it burned your throat and I couldn't see how that could be enjoyable. I have had a drink though, at home at Christmas with my family.

"Come outside with me, Maya, I need some fresh air." Will slurred and grabbed my arm, dragging me to my feet and towards the doors.

"Ok," I turned to Sav and Jack (who was wise and left the firewhisky alone), "I'll see you later Sav, 'night Jack."

"'Night!" He answered cheerfully before he went back to trying to persuade Sav to dance with him.

Will pulled me out to the grounds and even though it was a clear night, it was cold outside. I shivered. We were stood on the steps to the school looking at the stars. It would have been perfect and romantic if I had been with Dr—someone else.

"Are you cold?" Will asked. Crikey, he sobered up fast. I realized that I was still shivering.

"A little." I lied. I mean, he brought me out into the cold October (soon to be November) air in a halter neck, thin materialled dress. Was he seriously stupid enough to ask that question? I was flipping freezing! I don't know why but since Will asked me to come to this Ball with him, I started to dislike him. Call me crazy but it's true.

I stiffened when he put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer. When he tried nothing else, I began to relax. I concentrated on the constellations above in the sky: stars had always fascinated me. Just the way they shone made me smile.

Will took hold of my shoulders and turned me to look at him.

"Maya, you are so beautiful..." Perhaps he _was _still drunk.

"Will, I think—

I was cut off by his lips crashing down on mine. He held my head so I couldn't back away. At the impact, his teeth had clashed into my lips. I tried to pushing against his chest but he was too strong for me. I put my arms up around his neck and grasped some of his hair, trying to pull him away by his hair. He growled against my lips and it frightened me. His hold became tighter on my head as he tried to pry my lips open with his tongue. When I refused to open my lips, he bit down hard onto my bottom lip. It hurt really bad, images of when Pansy Parkinson beat me up flashed through my head and I struggled harder against him. I punched his chest, I pulled his hair, I kicked his shin, I bit his lip but it was like he was possessed and wouldn't let me go. My hands frantically checked where my wand would be but of course, it was up in the dorm.

When finally he was finished assaulting my lips, he pulled away to look at my tear stained face.

"You're mine, not his." He shoved me away causing me to stumble down the steps and fall hard on my side.

When I looked up, he was walking swiftly into the Entrance Hall. I felt something trickling down my chin, I put my hand up and when I pulled down to see what it was, my fingers were covered in a blood. Where he had bit my lip so hard, it was bleeding.

I scrambled up and covered my mouth with my hand and ran in the direction of Gryffindor common room. Once in the dorm, I took off my dress and put on my pyjamas. Once my lip had stopped bleeding, I went to bed with tears on my cheeks for the second time that week.

**Please review! Any reviews welcome, but preferrably not anything mean, cheers!**


	9. Chapter 9

There was an annoying noise bugging me, but all I wanted to do was sleep. I was so tired that I couldn't think straight. Well, I _wasn't _thinking straight. I wanted that noise to stop. _Right now. _It was making me not able to concentrate on sleeping. I groaned and pulled my pillow over my head. After a few more minutes, I decided I couldn't hack the irritating mumble anymore.

Suddenly I was freezing. The shock made me sit up straight. Once I was a bit more 'with the world', I realized that I was also soaking wet and my side was aching. Dimly, I realized that it was light in the dorm and Sav was grinning at me from the end of the bed. When I said nothing and didn't react in anyway, the grin slipped away off of Savvie's face. Slowly, as if I could read her mind, I saw her noticing there was something wrong. Her eyes took on a scrutinising gaze.

I sighed and laid back onto the bed, tremendously glad it was Sunday. I heard Sav shuffling around at the end of my bed but I couldn't be bothered to look up. I jumped slightly when she suddenly popped up from beside my bed.

"How did you get there? Did you crawl?" I asked.

"No! I only went under your bed from there," she pointed to the foot of my bed where she was stood earlier, " to here." She finished and pointed to where she was knelt now.

I stared at her, waiting for an explanation as to why she crawled under my bed. After a staring competition that lasted several minutes, I gave in.

"Why?"

"Why what?" Savvie answered with another question.

"Why did you crawl under my bed when you could have just walked to where you are now?" I tried again but this time slower, as if I was talking to a toddler.

"_Oh..._I wanted the element of surprise."

"You had it. But _why?_"

"To see if you were hiding something from me, like pretending to be... whatever you were being... but was actually feeling something else completely."

"Right. Whatever." I said with a wave of my hand. I wasn't in the mood to try and figure out what she meant, her mind didn't work the same way others did.

"So, you going to tell me what's wrong now?" Sav asked as she crawled onto my bed and pushed me over so she could lay next to me. She clearly wasn't bothered that I was still wet from when she soaked me to wake me up.

"Nope." I sighed.

"Okay."

We laid in silence for a while. I wondered if I should tell her that her brother was so awful to me last night. By the sounds of it, she was already a bit mad with him because of what she said at the Three Broomsticks. She had said that she doesn't agree with a decision he had made. I wonder what that meant?

"Sav, what did you mean when you said that you didn't agree with a decision Will had made?" I murmured.

"You'll find out soom enough, I think, but I can't tell you what it is though, it's not my place." Was the only answer I got.

I laid there thinking through the possibilities of what that could mean. I couldn't come up with anything that seemed so awful that Sav would be royally bugged about.

"If I tell you what happened, do't kill anyone, ok?" I said, hoping she wouldn't take it that hard.

"Ok, but don't leave anything out, tell me the truth and all the details."

"Well, um, it was... ugh... it was..." I stuttered. I couldn't get his name out. And it was going to upset Sav, so what should I do?

" It was Will, wasn't it?" Savvie whispered.

I didn't answer, but I felt her nod against my shoulder.

"I take your silence as a 'yes'."

I sighed.

"I'm sorry, Sav." I mumbled. I was still shivering from the water.

"It's hardly your fault, is it? You didn't assault yourself."

"But I shouldn't have told you, don't start anything with Will because of me." Wouldn't that be awful if they had a fight and stopped talking to eachother, because of me? I couldn't bring myself to forgive myself if that happened.

"I will start everything I need to start with him, he can't just go around doing things like that, just because he feels like it." She said fiercely. I never noticed before but now it dawned on me quite suddenly: she was quite protective of me, perhaps even went as far as thinking of me as a younger sister. Even though there was only a few months between us, I looked to her as if she were my older sister. Perhaps it was wrong for me to feel like that towards my best friend, but it was true.

"Should we go down to breakfast and you can fill me in on the way down." Sav said more soflty now.

"Sure, just let me have a shower first though."

On the way to breakfast, I told Save everthing. Needless to say, she was furious. I could tell this because she wasn't saying anything, her hands were curled into fists and she was gripping so tightly that her knuckles were white. I was worried, very rarely was she quite like this.

_In fact, this is the first time I've seen her not talking. Perhaps I shouldn't have told her. _I kept thinking.

She didn't eat anything at breakfast, which made me lose my appetite. I forced fed myself some scrambled eggs on toast, though. Several times, I tried to make conversation, but she would answer shortly with one or two words. More and more I worried that perhaps she was angry with me for leading Will on, that's probably why she's not talking to me.

"I'm gonna go to the Library, now." I told Sav after I finished the last bite of my toast.

"Alright, but I'm not gonna come."

"Ok, well, I'll see you later, then?" I made it a questiion, just in case she didn't want to see me later.

"Catch you later." She replied.

I was sat in the Library, minding my own business, reading Pride and Prejudice (_again_), when I was disturbed by someone taking the chair on the other side of my table.

"Table's taken, go away." I said without looking up.

When I didn't hear the person leave, I shoved bookmark on my page, slammed the book shut and looked up, ready to confront whoever was sat there.

And stopped dead.

"What do _you _want?"

"To see you." He replied.

"Why?" I asked narrowing my eyes.

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"Why must you ask so many questions?"

"You can't answer a question with another question." I answered, getting thoroughly annoyed. He burst out laughing, which just annoyed me further. Whilst I waited for his laughter to subside, I seriously considered just walking off. I was so seriously considering it that I actually got up, grabbed my book and started walking past the table. I stopped when he reached out and grabbed my wrist. I wasn't sure if it was because of fear or attraction. I convinced myself it was because of fear, but I think I was lying to myself.

"Wait, Maya, don't go." He murmured, so only I could hear.

"Why, Draco, why shouldn't I go?" I asked, not understanding why I was whispering back to him.

"Because, I...I'm..._ sorry_, Maya, I'm sorry for everything; I really am, I can understand if you can't forgive me, but please let me _explain_, please." He went from holding my wrist to holding my hand in both of his. I was quite shaken from what he said, though. Was he sorry? But if he wasn't, why would he be saying sorry? I couldn't see a catch in it. The way he was looking at me though made my heart melt, against my will.

"Ok, I'll listen to you..." I answered breathlessly, "but Draco, I don't know if I can forgive you." I added when I saw his face brighten.

"I understand that, really I do!" He whispered still, but I would have been a fool if I didn't recognise the enthusiasm in his voice.

"I don't want to talk here, though." I told him.

He nodded and pulled me towards the exit by my hand. When left the Library, I tried to let go of his hand but he wouldn't let me, he tightened his hold on my small hand but not enough to hurt me. I gave in but I didn't pratically dislike holding his hand, I just felt as though I _shouldn't_. We weren't a couple, we weren't best friends, hell we weren't even _friends_! I tried to ignore it though because it did make me feel good. I felt butterflies in my tummy and tingles in my fingertips. I didn't know where we were going either, which should have worried me, but it didn't. I felt as though I would follow Draco anywhere he went, which was an extremely stupid thing to feel, it made me feel like a dog. Bad thought.

I finally recognized the spiralling staircase and I'm sure my eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"Draco, do we _have _to come here to talk? We could go outside?" I asked hopefully.

He looked at me as though I was crazy. _What have I said now? _I couldn't help thinking.

"You want to go out_ there_?" He spun me around so I was facing the window. It was raining hard out there and the wind looked strong enough to blow someone over. I was concentrating on him, though. He was stood behind me, close enough that I could feel his breath on the back of my neck. I tried to ignore the sensation which tickled and I had to fight the urge to rub the feeling away.

"I guess not," I managed to strangle out, I stepped away from him so I could think clearly, "but we could always go to... um... the Great Hall?" I asked, avoiding his eyes.

"What's the point in that? We may as well just go up here." He didn't give me time to answer and continued pulling me up the staircase to the Tower. My shoulders sagged as I gave in, knowing that he wouldn't change his mind now.

We reached the decrepit door again and memories from the last time we were here flashed through my head. Last time, I had been giggling before going into the room, not knowing what was to come. I found no humour now. Draco pushed the door out of the way and there was the room. I had thought it looked beautiful before but now it looked grim. Where before the room glowed from the setting sun, it now looked like I was looking at a picture taking a long time ago. The colour looked like it had been sucked out of the room and all that was left was grey, white and black; it fitted my mood perfectly. It was cold, too, and the rain had come in through the glassless window. The blue walls now looked grey and the sofa was damp from where the wind has blown the rain so far into the room. I felt a sadness, quite fierce, pass through me. It reminded me of the state the world was in at the moment. Before the world glowed, just like this room, it portrayed happiness but now it was dark , gloomy and cold, what with the rise of You-Know-Who again.

_That is something you should keep to yourself, _I told myself, _considering you may be in the same room as a Death Eater._

This reminded me of Draco, who was now sat leaning against the wall, far from the misty rain by the window. I walked towards him slowly and sat next to him, not too close but not far away either. We sat in silence for awhile until I started shivering and Draco silently pointed his wand at me, placing a warmth charm on me.

"Thanks." I whispered, gazing over at him. It seemed wrong to talk any louder. As my words broke the silence, it looked like Draco was finishing an internal battle. Even after everything that had happened recently, it pained me to see him struggle with anything. It obviously pained him also, the thoughts that were running through his head at that moment.

"Draco..." I murmured and reached out my hand to place on his knee.

Suddenly, he shoved off against the wall when my hand touched his leg. He shuffled round to kneel infront of me.

"Maya, how can you stand to sit by me?" He asked, his face screwed up in confusion. Shivers ran down my spine, it wasn't because I was cold though, it was because he said my name.

"What do you mean?" I asked still in a quiet voice. I tried not to smile when he took my hand in the two of his like he did in the Library.

"How can you sit next to me, after everything that I have done and said to you?" He asked, matching my quiet voice.

"Because you said sorry earlier." I answered simply.

"But... well...ugh...that's it? That's all that's made you trust me?" He said astonished.

"I never lost my trust in you, Draco, we just stopped talking."

He sat there, not saying anything, appearing to be in shock. He turned his head away from me and stared at the wall. As much as he was staring at the wall, was I staring at his face; I couldn't help myself. This wasn't the first time that I had noticed how handsome he was. Only now did I notice the faint scar that streaked across his eyebrow and went up under his hair so that I couldn't see where it ended. Before I realized what I was doing, I reached out, my hand trembling, and trace the scar lightly with my finger. Draco 's grey eyes fluttered shut and I finally realized what I was doing. I went to take my finger away when he caught my hand and held it there, against his face. He sighed lightly.

"How did you get this scar?" I asked gently, still whispering. I felt his stiffen under my hand and his eyes flew open and started searching my face.

"It has something to do with what I have to tell you." He replied stiffly. I regretted asking, I took a deep breath that seemed to get caught in my throat on the way down.

"Tell me then." I wanted to clap my hands over my mouth. What was wrong with me? Obviously it wasn't going to be anything nice if he was acting so... _wood-like_. My heart raced when he cleared his throat.

"I got the Mark." He said.

The Mark? As in the Dark Mark? The ones that branded someone who did the work of You-Know-Who? _Oh Merlin! _He's become a Death Eater! Like his parents.

_Unless he didn't want to be one but was forced by his parents? _I questioned myself.

"Do you want to be a Death Eater though, Draco?" I asked faintly, my voice sounded so weak that I wasn't sure if he had heard me.

"No." He whispered so quietly that I wasn't sure if he had spoken. He looked me in the eyes then and said a bit stronger: "No, I don't."

I sighed in relief but made sure that he didn't hear.

"I bet you hate me. If not before, now you will." He sounded like a child who was scared and lost. My heart went out to him.

"No, of course not! You didn't choose this, it was forced upon you!" I said fiercely, trying to convince him. I pulled his into a hug. We sat like that for a few minutes. I realized so suddenly, like a light bulb going on in my head, that this boy was scared, confused and lost. How could I hold anything against whilst he was going through such a tough time in his life? Who was I to cause him anymore misery at the moment?

"You're so good, Maya, you're just purely good." He mumbled into my hair, breaking the spell.

"When did you get it?" I asked once he pulled back.

"The weekend after we were here last." He told me. "That was why the... talk ended the way it did, even though I realize, in hindsight, that I could have handled it a bit better."

"Don't talk about that... please." I looked down only to have my chin pulled back up by Draco.

"I'm sorry about that, I really am, but I have to tell you that I lied. I do like you, but I was so worried that the Dark Lord would have found out and blackmail me using you, do you see?" He said gently moving his head down so that he was at my eye level.

"Why would he do that?" I asked, a little confused.

"He's given me a special... task... that I definately don't want to do, but I was afraid that he would find you, find out my feelings for you, and use you to persuade me to do it. I'm no use to him dead, am I?" He said.

"Oh..." I mumbled, thinking it all through. So I was in danger from You-Know-Who becaus e Draco had feelings for me? A buzz went through my body when I thought of him liking me.

"So what's your task?" I asked offhandly, expecting him to say that he had to steal a certain book from the Library.

"To kill Dumbledore." He refused to meet my eyes.

"_What?_" I gasped. Draco grimly examined my face. It was odd for me, I was watching his composure cracking into a pile of rubble.

"I don't know what to do... I don't have a choice..." He whimpered. My heart felt as though it was breaking. I reached out and we hugged again.

"Why don't you have a choice?" I asked quietly.

"He said he'd kill my family if I don't..." He started shaking my arms. Silently, I performed the Warming charm on him and held him tighter.

"We could find protection for your family... we could go to Dumbledore, he'll know what to do..." I tried to comfort him.

"Yes, I suppose, but please, let's not talk about that anymore..." He said pulling himself out of my arms.

"Draco?" I said to get his attention as he had started looking at the wall again. He glanced at me. "I don't hold anything against you, you know."

He looked surprised and ecstatic, all at the same time. I noticed how his eyes lit up when he was happy. Bit by bit, the happiness was fading and the surprise was wearing out.

"We still can't be together though, can we?" He sighed, shoulders sagged as though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"I don't see why not, Draco. I mean I don't mind risking my life to be with you..." I told him, quite unaware at how deep I was sounding until after I finished saying it.

He didn't say anything and I was suddenly afraid that I cared for him more than he did for me. My panicking was postponed however, when he spoke.

"Perhaps we could just be friends for now?" He suggested. He avoided my eyes as he said this and I think it was because he didn't want to make it harder on me... or himself.

"Friends, then." I whispered. This was going to be hard. But his logic evaded me; being friends still put me at risk though, didn't it?


	10. Chapter 10

The next day, when I was stumbling through the portrait hole, there was someone there to catch my forearm before I fell painfully to the floor. I was kinda shocked.

_Do I have a guardian angel now? _I thought to myself. Normally I would have just fell to the floor and kill off a few of the remaining brain cells I had left.

"Good morning, sunshine" a deep voice said from somewhere above my head, to the right. I looked up to see who it was and was met by pale grey eyes alight with amusement.

"Malfoy?" I asked, stunned. "What are you doing here?" I demanded, narrowing my eyes at him. I may still like him, but that didn't mean that I forgave him for treating me like the crap on his shoe. Humph.

"After seeing Gryffindors coming this way day after day, for six years, I kinda put two and two together and figured this must be where the "secret" Gryffindor Common Room must be."

"But w-why?" I stuttered.

"I thought we could walk to breakfast together."

"W-why?" I asked in puzzlement, forgetting to be angry with him.

_This boy has DEFINATELY got a screw loose! _I thought to myself.

"Because we're friends?" He said looking at me like I had grown another head.

"SINCE _WHEN _HAVE WE BEEN FRIENDS?" I shouted, completely outraged that he joke about something like that whilst I was still angry at him.

"Since _yesterday_..." If he was looking at me like I had grown another head _earlier_, he now looked at me as if I had just grown three head and an eye on my forehead.

"What on earth are you on about?" I huffed while storming in the direction of the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Remember we met up yesterday in the Library, then we went to the Tower and discussed what has happened and agreed to be friends."

"Merlin, you s-shouldn't imagine t-t-things like that!" I managed to choke out.

_Use your brain, you stupid girl, you had a _dream _where that happened, put two and two together! _Said a voice in my head that sounded terrifyingly like Professor Snape.

"Maya, what on _Earth _are you talking about?" I could hear that he was starting to loose his temper...

"Hang on, wait, do you have a scar by your eyebrow?"

"Yes." He answered sounding exasperated.

"Oh, so it wasn't a dream?" I asked uncertainly.

He started laughing so hard that I had to grab his arm so that he didn't tumble down the stairs.

"What are you laughing about?" I asked testily, all the while feeling quite foolish that I had mistaken real life as a dream.

Draco sobered quickly and looked down on me solemnly.

"You would dream something like that?" He asked quietly. It was so odd to hear him talking so seriously now when just a few seconds ago, he'd been almost falling over from laughter.

"Yup." I answered. I thought things over.

_Right, so that wasn't a dream, it was real, that REALLY HAPPENED! So you're friends with him now. So you act like friends... And he should meet Sav!_

"You wanna go to breakfast with me? I don't think we should eat together though... Perhaps just walk together?" I asked.

"Yeah, sure, why not?" He replied and started walking again.

"On one condition..." I added mischievously.

"What?" He asked warily.

"That you give me a piggy-back all the way to the Great Hall..." I said whilst pretending to examine my nails.

"WHAT? That's ages away!" Draco exclaimed playfully.

"Well, being my friend comes at a price..." I sighed all the while trying to hide my smirk.

"Well then..." He leaned over with his back to me.

I ran towards him and leaped, successfully getting on his back. I wrapped my arms around his neck tightly and my legs around his waist, joining my feet together on his stomach.

"Geez, loosen the death grip, please." Draco gasped out. I giggled and did what he asked.

"Lets go then..."

Down at breakfast, I kept sneaking glances towards the Slytherin table. It seemed that Draco was doing the same thing because we caught eye contact several times and I had to suppress laughter as he pulled funny faces at me.

"What you laughing about?"

"Gah!" I yelped.

Sav sat down next to me, chuckling softly, she shrugged lightly when she noticed my playful glare and picked up some buttered toast. We sat in a comfortable silence whilst eating our food with me still stealing glances at Blondie across the way.

Suddenly, I burst out laughing when Draco made a glass of pumpkin juice fall on Goyle's head a few seats down. It was hilarious becuase the idiot didn't even realise and just carried on eating.

"_What_ are you _laughing _about?" Savvie demanded.

"Draco...Goyle...hahahahahahaha...pumpkin...head...hahahahahahahahaha!" I managed to choke out.

"Draco Goyle Pumpkin Head?" Sav looked puzzled. "What have you drank this morning?"

This just made me laugh harder along with the fact that Goyle was know looking around to see why suddenly he was wet. He was looking left then right then up then down. Draco was struggling to keep a straight face.

"Alright, if you're not going to share the joke, don't keep laughing..." Sav grumbled.

"S-sorry, I'll s-stop now!" I managed.

A couple of minutes later, I had stopped laughing and resisted the urge to glance at Draco on the other side of the Hall.

"So how was your night at the Ball?" I asked Sav after gulping down some pumpkin juice.

"It was good, yeah... Jack and I danced all even spoke to _Harry Potter_, can you believe it?"

"No _way! _He's only been in our class, our year and our _house _all these days!" I said sarcastically.

"You forget that I haven't been here as long as you have..." She huffed as I laughed.

"C'mon, we should get going to Potions..." I picked up my bag and motioned for Draco to follow us.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Sav grabbed my arm.

"What?" I asked, kinda scared at her outburst

"Did you just _signal _Malfoy?"

"Draco." I corrected automatically.

"Fine, Draco then, but did you?"

"Did I do what?" I asked, feigning confusion.

"_Signal _him!" Sav whispered loudly.

"Who?" I asked innocently.

"Draco!" She exclaimed quietly.

"What about Draco?"

"Fine! I give up, you're in a really annoying mood today, either that or you're drunk..."An irritable Sav muttered. I simply smirked.

By this time, we were outside the Great Hall where Draco was just exiting.

"Hello ladies." He said charmingly.

"Hey—Oh, Malfoy!" Sav was resembled a goldfish when she had her mouth open like that.

"Draco." I corrected automatically.

"Whatever, so what can we do for you?" My ditzy friend recovered quickly.

"Well, I was just wondering if you two needed an escort to Potions...?" He smiled.

"Why would we need an escort? I mean, you're more than welcome to walk with us, but we don't need an _escort_, do we? I mean—

"Sav, stop." I said whilst pressing my lips together to stop the laughter from getting through

"Ok. So, Mal—Draco, would you like to escort us to Potions?" Sav smiled and before he had chance to answer, she linked arms with the both of us and said: "Good, let's go."

"Hang on!" We heard from behind us. "Wait up!"

Draco looked behind us in confusion.

"Who's that?" He asked us.

"That would be my man..." Sav sighed dramatically. "Hey, hun, meet Draco!"

Jack skidded to a stop trying to control his panting.

"Nice to meet you, man." Jack said with his permanent grin. "You alright, Maya?"

"Of course, you?" I answered politely.

"Absolutely. Oh, I forgot, my name's Jack." He said to Draco.

"Oh, right nice to meet you Jack."

Soon, the boys were in a serious discussion about Quidditch and Sav was telling me all about her night at the Ball after I filled her in on what had transpired between Draco and I the night before.


	11. Chapter 11

It was now the second week of December and you could practically see the impatience of the students. We were going home for Christmas in four days. I was not really looking forward to it as I had my cousin, Kieran, coming to stay. Kieran was a pain in the ass. Literately. He had this horrible habit of tapping your ass when he walked past you. Well, he only did that with me and Lizzie. It bugged us to no end. But, on the bright side, I had an arranged 'get-together' with the gang, as we had started referring to ourselves, so in short: me, Draco, Sav and Jack. We were going to meet up at the Three Broomsticks on Boxing day. It would break up the two weeks from Kieran.

"So what are you guys doing over the break?" Sav asked while she filed her nails. She was still an oddball, or perhaps I was the oddball for not getting why you have to use volumising shampoo and moisturise every part of your body 3 times a day. Yeah, perhaps it was me.

"Aw, not much..." Jack said as he stretched his legs in front of him, kicking Draco's feet out the way with his and draping an arm over Sav's shoulder. They had been really close lately, but luckily for me and Draco, there wasn't much PDA going on. As for Draco and Jack, they were like best mates, in the most manly, masculine version of 'bezzies', _of course_. It was all claps on the back and handshakes, but when you caught them in the middle of a Quidditch debate, it was boyish games. Their voices go higher and higher as the discussion gets more heated, it's quite funny actually, me and Sav crack up when this happens and later on, we mock their girly voices.

"The usual." Draco added, pulling a 'disgusted' face. Poor Draco, he had tried persuading me to let him stay over so he didn't need to go home for Christmas, but after more thinking through he agreed that it would be more trouble than it was worth. That was what made us make plans to meet up. We had agreed not to get presents for each other but just have a meal together at the Three Broomsticks instead.

Draco and I were really close now. He knew quite a bit about me and I knew quite a bit about him too, just apart from family. Draco refused to talk about his family, but he didn't mind talking about other things like his favourite ice cream, favourite Quidditch team...

Lizzie and I cautiously walked towards our front door. Mum and Dad had sent me a letter which I had got this morning at breakfast before leaving for Hogsmeade to catch the Hogwarts Express. They said that we'd have to catch the Knight Bus home as Kieran would already be there and Dad would still be at work; Mum couldn't come and get us from Kings Cross Station by Floo with Kieran there and him being a muggle and all... Kieran is from my Dad's side of the family, therefore making him a muggle and _the most annoying _muggle anywhere!

We knocked quietly, half hoping that nobody was there but unfortunately, the door was yanked open a couple of seconds after Lizzie's hand left the door.

"Babes!" Exclaimed the over-excited idiot in the doorway. Kieran hadn't changed much since his last visit. Maybe grown a few inches taller but he was still the same ugly git he was before and it appeared that he **still **hadn't washed his hair since last year.

"Hey Kieran!" Lizzie and I answered him at the same time. We had to be nice to Kieran because he was even uglier when he cries, which he does if he feels that we 'pick on him'. But the stupid, annoying thing is that he behaves himself in front of our parents, so they think they we make it up and he knows that!

We quickly walked into the house and I went into the kitchen while Lizzie whizzed upstairs past Kieran's attempt at a hug. Mum was in front of the sink peeling a load of potatoes in a blue baking apron, that she's had since before her and Dad were even married, with her long curly brown hair pulled up into a messy bun.

"Hi Mum!" I called to her, laughing as she dropped the potato she was peeling causing a wave of water to splash on her apron. She jogged over to me and enveloped me in a wet bear hug regardless of the fact that she had just soaked me too.

"Hello, honey! Are you ok? How was the train ride?" She asked as she went back to the sink, after throwing me a towel to dry off with.

"I'm alright, and it was fine, a bit quiet..." I shrugged after pouring myself some orange juice.

"Good, now where's your sister?"

"I'm here!" Lizzie answered for me, "I was just upstairs, starting to unpack." _And avoiding Kieran _was silently added on the end. Lizzie hugged Mum tightly before taking my drink out of my hand and draining it.

"Hey!" I joked, poking her in the ribs, just where she's ticklish. Lizzie and I were quite similar, the only difference between us really was our age and the fact that Lizzie was more outgoing than me and made friends easier. But other than that we were practically the same, which was sometimes good and sometimes bad.

"I'm just going to unpack." I decided out loud.

Unfortunately for me, when I got up the stairs with my trunk, Kieran was leaning on my bedroom door, pretending to examine his fingernails. I walked up to him, trying to seem intimidating, and impatiently cleared my throat.

Oh, fancy seeing you here, cuz!" He said, acting surprised.

_You slimy little sod! _I thought to myself as I noticed him looking me up and down; I defensively crossed my arms over my chest.

"What do you want, Kieran?"

"Hmmm, what _do _I want?" He smirked. I simply rose my eyebrows, but my jaw slackened when he gave me a suggestive look.

_Ugh, disgusting 14 year old boy! _I thought furiously.

I shoved him out of my way and quickly got my trunk into my bedroom, slamming the door and locking it behind me.

"Perv!" I shouted through the door.

"Hey, Maya, I was only joking!" Kieran shouted back.

_Ha! You better have been joking, you annoying little creep! _I thought to myself.

Once I'd heard his footsteps go down the stairs, I turned around to reunite myself with my bedroom.

It was quite a decent sized room, big enough for me to have a double bed, a desk and a wardrobe in there with plenty of room still. The walls have been the same shade of sunshine yellow ever since I was born. In fact the real main change that has happened in here since I was born, has been the baby cot disappearing to be replaced by the bed I now have. My favourite part of my bedroom would have to be my window seat where I sit and read during the school holidays. It was tradition for me to sit in the window seat and read Pride and Prejudice (a tradition that started when I first learned to read, but the books have changed over the years) on Christmas Eve, snuggled in my duvet with a hot chocolate. I was planning on doing that this year as well, whether Kieran was here or not. It wasn't anti-social, it was just relaxing time, my me time. Every member of my family did their own thing on Christmas Eve: my dad, like me, read whilst my mum liked to bake; Lizzie usually either tried lots of make up on or she reread her Witch Weekly magazines and my little brother, Matt, played with his toys, magic and muggle alike. I really didn't know what Kieran was going to do, I didn't really care. We usually had a 'little Christmas plan'. My family were quite 'family-orientated', you could say, so Mum and Dad start their two week holiday from work on the 23rd December and it's that day that we decorate the house and on Christmas day, Matt usually woke us up at about 7am and we open our presents until lunch time.

We celebrated New Year with my mum's family which I always looked forward to. I got on best with my cousins on the Green side of the family whereas with my dad's sister, Lynne, just bugged the heck out of me. Even Dad has told me that sometimes he wished he had a less melodramatic sister. Mum and I had often laughed over how we thought Aunty Lynne would react if she ever found out that we were witches. Aunty Lynne is _very _house proud down to the point that we have to take our shoes before we've even stepped into her house. And she still insists on getting Lizzie and I bras, socks and knickers for Christmas, calling them 'big girls' undies', which was actually quite embarrassing at the beginning but now we were just used to it. So, really, there isn't actually any wonder why her only son (Kieran) is such a nutcase; he's been spoiled since he was born and has been brought up in a very odd manner. My uncle, Dennis, is just weird. He **never **speaks, it isn't that he's a mute or anything, he just refuses to talk which is awful because it means that Aunty Lynne talks to make up for her husband's silence. So needless to say that I never really got excited when I found out that the Moores were coming to visit and I was now extremely happy that Kieran was leaving early on Christmas Day, after lunch, and that would be it from them: No more Kieran, no Dennis, and most definitely no Aunty Lynne. Perhaps Christmas this year wouldn't be nearly as bad as I imagined, I just had to put up with Kieran for a few more days.

Christmas Eve

_Dear Diary,_

_MERLIN, SAVE ME! Take mercy, please... Kieran is driving me insane. He has tried feeling me up a total of 12 times. Surely as a witch, I could murder him and make it look like a suicide? Oh no, damnit! I'm still an underaged witch! Darn... Oh, hang on, wait a minute, haha I got it! I could get Draco to help me! He's seventeen, but unfortunately (or fortunately, for Kieran, I suppose), I don't have an owl to contact him and ask him. But I'm sure he'd refuse anyway. I really miss him and kinda wish he was here to help me through Kieran's visit. Next time Kieran comes to our house during the school holidays, I'm staying at Hogwarts. I can't wait until Boxing Day, for two reasons, 1: I can see my friends and 2: Kieran will be gone!_

_I suppose you're kinda wondering what's going on between Draco and me because the last time I wrote in here was when we weren't talking. Well, we're talking now. But we're friends. I don't even know if he even feels _that _way for me. We're best friends, but the problem is, I _do _feel _that _way for him. And it's getting harder to just be friends now._

_It's Christmas Eve today and I did the traditional thing again; I even saw a shooting star! I made a wish but I can't tell you what it was otherwise it won't come true, will it?_

_I'm gonna go now. I have to pretend I'm asleep because I can hear Kieran and if he thinks I'm still awake, he'll come in my room. Night!_

Christmas Day

As per usual, Matt woke me up, and the rest of the family, at exactly 7am. I swear that kid lies when he says that he can't the time. Little devil. Waking up at ridiculous times on Christmas morning died off with me back when I was 11. I was still half asleep when I was stumbling down the stairs to where everyone was gathered, in the lounge. I took in the sight of the Christmas tree that we had decorated not yesterday, but the day before. I felt a thrill of excitement when I noticed the large pile of presents under the mass of fairy lights and tinsel.

"Father Christmas came!" Matt shouted at the top of his voice, bless him, I wish I was still gullible to believe in Father Christmas.

I quickly, well as quickly as someone could go with one of their eyes glued shut by sleep, helped myself to a mug of coffee from the pot Mum had put on the coffee table.

"Maya, sit down!" Matt told me sternly, knowing that nobody could open any presents until everyone was sat in the circle. I plopped down next to Lizzie who actually looked rather without considering the time.

"Good Morning!" She said in an excited voice as she had just been giving a present to unwrap.

"Morning." I mumbled back. I looked at the neatly wrapped square package in my hand. I pulled the paper covered in creepy little grinning snowmen. We couldn't have our usual wrapping paper, the stuff that moved, because Kieran was here. Inside, there was a selection of Special Edition Jane Austen books, all hard backs and with beautiful illustrated front covers. They were quite something to look at. I put the box set carefully beside me and picked up my next present. This one was soft and I tore the paper away to reveal a bundle of green woolly stuff. I soon figured out it was actually a really long scarf.

"It's been charmed to warm all of your body, not just your neck, so with that on, you can't ever be too cold or too warm." Lizzie whispered into my ear.

"Thank you! But I thought we had to wait until after lunch to give the magical gifts?" I whispered back, feeling slightly guilty that one of her presents wasn't here to unwrap.

"We were but I wanted to give it to you now..." She shrugged.

"Oh, right well, then thank you, oh here's one of yours." I said passing her a large, wrapped box.

She grinned at me, pretending to listen to it and shake it slightly, until she finally cracked and couldn't wait any longer. She ripped the paper off to reveal a plain old box.

"Er... thanks?" She said uncertainly. I laughed and told her to open the box.

Inside was a year's subscription to Witch Weekly, to be delivered to her dorm at Hogwarts, a pampering set and a fancy box of chocolates.

"Aww, you're the best sisteer anyone could ask for!" Lizzie exclaimed before attacking me in a hug.

I can officially say that today was an eventful day. We had opened the rest of our gifts and to say the least, I was very pleased with what I had got which consisted of: the box set, the charmed scarf, a hamper full of Honeydukes sweets and chocolates, a bra and a pair of knickers (from Aunty Lynne, of course), a little red dress (which really is gorgeous), a pair of pearl studs and a voucher worth 100 galleons to spend in _any _shop I wanted in Diagon Alley. This year, I really was spoilt. The voucher was from all of the family from my Mum's side of the family; Lizzie got the same too.

But now, I was exhausted because we had had such a big lunch that I don't think I will need to eat for a week, and then we opened our magical gifts to be followed by an afternoon full of board games and films, once Kieran had left (_Thank Goodness!_).

I got into my pyjamas and flicked my bedside lamp on; I was going to have a proper look at the Jane Austen box set. I'd just pulled out _Emma_, when I heard it.

_Tap tap tap_

There a jet black owl at my window, tapping persistently. It was actually a really eery owl; it's bright amber eyes followed my every move as I got out of bed and went over to the window. It was a really big bird and it was carrying a white enveloppe that had green calligraphed writing on the front. I quickly gave the bird a little pat on the head to show my thanks as there was no way I was gonna go downstairs to get it something to eat at this time at night: I'd wake everybody up! Hesitantly, I untied the letter from his leg and in an instant, he had flew off, hooting angrily at me before he left.

I watched the mysterious owl fly away until I could no longer distinguish his dark feathers against the night sky. I looked down at the enveloppe in my hand, it was heavy, telling me that it was high quality parchment. I wonder who would bother sending me a posh letter? I could only think of one person before I hastily wripped the green seal to reveal just a few sentences:

"Here is something I think you'll like, I hope you've had a wonderful day, Merry Christmas, Love, Draco" I read.

I tipped the something out of the enveloppe and into my hand; I gasped. It was a silver locket with a green jewl enbedded in the centre, dangling on a long silver chain. It was absolutely breathtaking. I put it over my head and it draped down to about my chest. I looked into my full length mirror, the green brought out my eyes and the silver made my skin look creamy. I couldn't believe Draco could be so sweet! That night, I feel asleep wondering what it could mean, clutching the locket tightly.


	12. Chapter 12

I wandered through Hogsmeade the next day, an hour early for the get together at the Three Broomsticks. The little village famous for the coming and going of Hogwarts students was oddly quiet: I was used to it buzzing with activity during the student body's visit. This was my first time there during the school holidays and it had a totally different feel to it, not the usual excitement, more of a relaxed, sleepy village. I noticed that quite a few of the little boutiques that lined the streets were in fact closed, whether it be because it was a national holiday or because they weren't getting quite as many customers in them.

I checked my watch and decided I still had time to go along to Shrieking Shack before heading over to the Three Broomsticks. On the walk over to the legendary haunted house, I came across no one and that just added to the peaceful outlook of the scenery. There was snow on the ground, I presumed Scotland had some snow unlike down south, but there wasn't any footprints and I felt slightly guilty to be the one to ruin the undisturbed blanket of white. But nonetheless, I trekked along where the path would have been had it not been covered by inches of snow.

The legendary Shrieking Shack was like a ink splatter on a pearly white painting, contrasting deeply with the ground and clouded sky. The lack of colours made the haunted house beautiful in its' own way. I'd heard that the Shack was _impossible _to enter, freaky, huh? And when the moon is full, howls are heard from within, people say it's the ghost but I've tried searching up which family used to live there in the Library, but I couldn't find anything, which bugged me _a lot_.

I stood there for another ten minutes longer until I could feel the freezing air creeping into my gloves, up my sleeves and under my woolly hat. I hadn't worn the scarf that Lizzie had gotten me from fear of losing it (which she had pointed out to being foolish, now I had to agree with her...).

I began my journey back towards the village only stepping in the footsteps I had made on my quest out there, getting my feet tangled up. I feel over completely and thudded on the ground causing my mission, to not disrupt any more snow than I'd already had, completely pointless. Once I was back on my feet, I carried on walking, normally this time, occasionally stopping to catch on my tongue a couple of the snowflakes that had fluttered down from the sky.

The closer I got to the village the more people I saw until I approached the little packed pub and I had to dodge several people at the entrance who had decided to reunite, wishing each other good tidings and wishes for the New Year right outside of the door to the Three Broomsticks.

Stepping into the pub, I inhaled the festive scent of cinnamon and the comforting smell of cakes baking. I welcomed the warmth enveloping the room from the large open fire on the far side of the room. I spotted an empty table in the far corner that was lit only by the flames that danced in the fireplace. Not being able to resist myself, I wound my way through the tightly packed room towards the table and plopped my body down onto the cushioned seat.

"An order, miss?" The young blonde waitress inquired, quill at the ready on her notebook.

"A hot chocolate, please." I replied as I shrugged out my coat and removed my hat and gloves.

Several minutes later, my drink was placed down in front of me quickly by a completely different waitress than the one who'd taken my order, then she hurried off before I even had chance to say 'thank you'. I glanced down at my watch and saw that I still had 15 minutes until we were due to meet. _Perhaps someone would be smart enough to arrive early... _I thought. Just then the bell over the door sounded out and I heard the unmistakable noise of someone tapping off the snow on their feet on the mat provided that helpfully stated 'Welcome' (I'd never understood that, how the mat that you wipe your feet on says '_Welcome_', who is it saying welcome to? Your feet?). I half got out of my seat so that I could see over the heads of all the customers in the room and saw that the person who had just walked in, alone, was either a woman or a small man (I was betting on the first) by the look of the figure in the long dark travelling cloak. Deciding it wasn't one of the three people I was waiting for, I sat down again and took a sip from the mug in front of me. Instantly, I regretted it. The liquid was absolutely scorching hot and I ended up spitting it back into the mug. After swiping across my mouth with the provided napkin, I glanced around at the people closest to me discreetly, trying to figure out whether or not they had seen my little circus trick. I guessed not as no one was looking at me a) disgusted b) annoyed or c) amused. And most importantly, no one was changing tables to get away from the spitting girl. Not that I did it on purpose!

So with a burned tongue (which really odd, you know like it's completely numb, ever got that feeling?), a blushing face and a damaged pride, I decided to count the rocks above the fireplace whilst playing with the locket that dangled around my neck. After getting bored of that, I started counting the beams and what felt like 3 hours later, the bell over the door rang again, not once but three times. I stood up this time, positive that it was Sav, Draco and Jack, which it was. I ignored the fact that were already all together and in a funny conversation by the looks of it. I caught Sav's eyes and she lead the other two towards my secluded table.

"Heya, Millie May!" She exclaimed whilst she was still ten feet away from where I was causing me to put my head down to hide my blush as several people turned to stare at Sav, then turned their heads in my direction when they made the link that _I _was 'Millie May'.

I didn't see the hug coming because my hair was still hiding my face so when it did come, I was almost knocked backwards. I wiggled my arms out from the tight embrace and hugged Sav back. After a minute, we released each other and I looked behind her at Jack and Draco; Jack came up and gave me brotherly hug and quickly went to get the seat next to Sav and I was left facing Draco.

He had never looked so boyish to me except going back perhaps in first year: he had on a green hat that covered his ears and he'd pulled it down to just above his eyebrows, that were the same colour as the small part of his fringe that was poking out from under his hat and was covering his left eye slightly. His cheeks and the end of his nose were glowing red in sharp contrast with his alabaster skin and his lips were red and kissable. What changed this image from sweet and innocent to bad boy were his eyes that no matter what he was doing all made you think that he was up to no good. The silver orbs were now looking at me and the lips were now tipped up in a half smile that I'm sure if I tried, I'd look like I had a twitch whilst I was grimacing.

"Hello." He said softly. I smiled at him and pulled him into a hug which he returned (thank Merlin, ever hugged someone and they didn't respond, they just stood there, arms hanging, like a statue? It's awful because you feel kinda...stupid.).

After we'd separated and joined Sav and Jack back at the table, Jack and Draco went to get drinks leaving Sav and I to have a 'girly catch up' as Jack had put it.

"Did you see Jack during the holidays?" I asked her before cautiously taking another sip of hot chocolate only to find out that it was still just as hot as it was the last time I tried, but this time I managed not to spit out again.

"No, his parents decided last minute to go off to Spain, in their holiday home." She replied, gazing off at Jack.

"Shame that, you really like him don't you?" I asked, smiling at the adoration in her eyes as she stared at Jack.

"Well, yeah, he's so funny and smart and good-looking..."

I thought back to the day when I'd asked a similar question before, the last time we were at the Three Broomsticks together.

Savvie seemed to be lost in her thoughts, so allowed myself to do the same.

**FLASHBACK**

"_How is it with Jack though? Are you just going to the Ball together or is it like the start of a relationship, do you think?" _

"_I hope that it will develop into something more because, even if I haven't been here very long, I think he's a really nice guy. He's someone who is good for me and the kind of guy I would like to end up being with." She answered and a slight flush appeared on her cheeks. _

"_Hmm, deep." I noted. They were a good couple and he was a nice guy. After the obvious I'm-sorry-I-don't-know-your-name conversation, he didn't forget my name, he occasionally hung out with us. He was really cheerful and always made me laugh, which was nice._

**BACK TO PRESENT**

"Maya?" Sav called, breaking me out of my thoughts. I snapped my head towards her vulnerable voice; her eyes were wide and she was chewing on her bottom.

"Yeah?" I asked softly in response to her voice.

"What do you think is going to happen?" She asked so quietly that I almost missed it, it didn't help that she was looking down at the table to confirm that she did in fact say what she did. It seemed an odd question.

"With what?" I asked, not quite on her drift yet.

"The War."

"Oh." I breathed. It was true though, it had been a subject that had been on my mind for quite a lot recently. More and more names were appearing in the papers, often the surnames were ones that I recognised. Sometimes, I even saw Dumbledore come into the Great Hall during breakfast, then lead a pale faced student out again. Also, I noticed that whenever you walked past Harry and his two friends, Ron and Hermione, they always seemed to have a tension around them that was so thick that you could cut it with a knife, or their faces were grim. But actually, lately, I hadn't seen Ron and Hermione hang out together, they normally always hang out together; I wonder why?

But back on the subject of the war, it was extremely frightening. I feared that one day, it would be a member of my family, like Rick, who was training to be an Auror. Or even the muggle side of my family, because even though they annoyed me, I don't want them hurt... or worse.

"I don't know, Sav, but I hope it's over soon."

We stopped our depressing conversation when the boys came back over with drinks. I quickly gulped down my now luke-warm hot chocolate so I could make space for the butterbeer that Draco had got me.

"Sorry we took so long, it's really busy up there." Jack told us as he settled down into the space next to Sav, leaving Draco the seat next to me.

Before Draco had chance to sit down, I put my hand on his forearm, stopping him. He looked at me quizzically.

"Could I just talk to you outside for a minute?" I asked, getting up once he'd nodded. "We'll be back in a minute." I told Sav and Jack.

We weaved our way through the crowd again and once we were out the door, I didn't stop. I carried on through the village until we got to the spot I had been standing at, in front the Shrieking Shack, before the others arrived. I couldn't see Draco's expression as he was walking a foot behind me, letting me lead the way.

It was only when we got to the spot where my previous footprints stopped, that I turned to look at him. He seemed to be in deep thoughts and had some curiousity touching his brow.

"Thank you." I said after taking a deep breath and clearing my throat to catch his attention.

"What for?" He asked, confusion more prominent in his features than curiousity now.

I pulled out the locket from inside my winter jacket showing him it. But I was a bit confused as to him not actually knowing 'what for' already. I noticed his eyes widening.

"Where did you get that?" He demanded harshly.

"Y-you sent it to me, remember?" I stuttered, slightly taken aback at his fierce tone.

"No, I don't. When did I send that?" He questioned, no longer sounding angry, but more worried.

"On Christmas Day, you even sent a note with it." I said, pulling the note out of my pocket, showing it to him. I was kinda peeved with him pretending not remembering sending it. Did it really mean so little to him? He reached out and smoothed his fingertip over the jewel in the centre. He pulled back as if it had burned him.

"Maya, could I have it back?" He asked hesitantly.

"But it was present, Draco..." I whispered, trying to mask the hurt in my voice. I failed. His eyes softened and he stepped away from me. He leaned on the fence beside, staring out towards the Shrieking Shack. Why did he want it back anyway? Did he regret giving it to me?

We stood there for about five minutes before Draco looked at me again. But when he did, his expression when from giving in to panic in a second.

"MAYA, GET IT OFF!" He shouted making me jump.

"What?" I answered stupidly. He rushed towards me, his hands going to my neck. For a fleeting moment, I thought that he was going to kiss me, then another second later, I thought he was going to strangle me. His cold hands were frantic at my neck, but I couldn't understand or see what he was doing.

"Draco, what is it?" I asked exasperated.

"The necklace is tightening!" He exclaimed, still concentrating on my neck.

"What?" I said again stupidly. I raised my hand to my chest where the locket should be hanging, only to find it gone. I raised my slightly more and a bit more until I found the locket again. It was up by my collarbone! I pulled at it, thinking that it might be caught up with my hair or something, but it wouldn't budge. Istarted panicking: perhaps it was tightening!

"Draco, get it off of me!" I screeched, really starting to get worried now.

"I'm trying! Where is the fastening?"

"There wasn't one! I just draped it over my head!" I cried trying to get it up over my chin to pull it off, but by that time, it was at choker necklace length. Draco pulled his wand out of his pocket and aimed it at the still tightening chain.

"Solvo!"

Nothing happened.

"Amitto!"

Nothing happened.

"Adveho divello!"

Still nothing happened.

The necklace was feeling really tight now, but I was still able to get my fingers underneath the chain to separate the silver from my skin.

Draco started off with charms again, but these I didn't recognise. I think they were dark magic, but I didn't say anything as he was only using them to help me. Really, to save my life.

Black dots started to invade my vision and the chain was so tight on my fingers, I had to pull them out from fear of them snapping off. My eyes began watering, I was gasping for breath, my fingers were numb from lack of blood and all I could think was:

Here we go again.

This was the second time something very dramatic had happened in my life, funny how it was within 6 months: within the time that I knew a certain person.

The certain person who was now, fumbling around with the chain at my neck once again: I would've complained about his fingers being freezing, but I couldn't. My head was pounding from lack of oxygen and my knees were weak, causing me to drop to the ground. Draco caught me though, but still laid my down on the floor. He wiped the tears from his eyes and I noticed a new fierce determination within them. He picked up his wand once again, pointing it at my neck.

"LICENTIA SUNUS!"

A bright light blinded me and the last thing I heard was:

"It's alright, you're going to be alright...".

Then everything went black.


	13. Chapter 13

Everything was suddenly blindingly bright. I reached up to shield my eyes, but I couldn't. I tried again. Again, my arm was restrained. I looked down to slowly to see that my arms and legs were bound to my sides and I seemed to be hanging. I saw below my body was a terrifying drop. Wait. why was this familiar? There was a annoying niggling at the back corner of my brain. OH! Oh, oh, oh! What the heck was I doing here... _again?_

The dream was playing out, but I felt like just one of the pawns being controlled by a large hand that was invisible to all. I quickly looked around me to find something to get me back to safer grounds... If I remembered correctly, there wasn't anything. Looking up, I saw that I was hanging from nothing at all; it's the man in a black cloak that is holding me up. I couldn't see his face but I recognized the way he held himself and how he was dressed. For the second time, I began to panic once I acknowledged the fact that my life is in the hands of this scary man. Not too good. Before I could even scream "No", again the man dropped me and I was falling slowly, in a dream-like state, towards the cold looking water of the river below. But it was pleasant in a terrifying way, the wind blowing at me, the ground getting closer. It felt like I was flying, just flying...down. Just as I was to hit the water, the scene changed.

My eyelids flickered open but quickly closed again as they weighed the same as lead. I felt the dream melting away from me like ice melts into water before trickling away: the image of the man in a black cloak and the hanging was trickling away from me in a stream towards the back of my brain where I wouldn't be able catch it and remember it. I attempted to open my eyes again, but still they refused. I felt like I usually do on Monday morning, but this wasn't a case of Monday morning. I completely had my wits about me. I had two options as to where I was, where this horrible lumpy bed belongs.

Why is it that every place where you are being medically healed has crap, uncomfortable beds? It just wasn't fair because lots of times, you would be in there for a little while... Or perhaps that was the plan: give patients uncomfortable beds so they avoid at all costs going to the hospital, whether it be at Hogwarts or at St Mungos. Therefore I knew, just by the _bed _where I was. Hogwarts or St Mungos. I think I'd prefer to be at Hogwarts... actually perhaps not, perhaps St Mungos, where is it warmest? But anyway, getting back to the subject: I knew exactly where I was and why I was here. I knew for certain that I wasn't dead because he'd told me I was alright, so I was and that I'd be alright, so I am. I can trust him to tell me the truth. So that's with the where. But now, the how.

The last thing I can remember is black dots, gasping for breath, cold, tears, fear and of course the locket. That stupid goddamn locket. If I ever see it again, I'm gonna completely go crazy: I'll spit on it, I'll stomp on it, I'll throw it at a wall, I'll do some funky hex and charms and curses, then I will transform it into paper and then burn it. But... b-but how was it cursed in the first place? It was sent to me by Draco, and it was cursed? Was it... Was it Draco who cursed it? But if it was him who cursed it, why would he try, and succeed, to save me from it? That just didn't make sense. A list of suspects (people I'd seen that day) ran through my head: waiter, strangers in the street, strangers in the pub. My mind shied away from the last people on my list: Mum, Dad, Lizzie, Matthew, Sav, Jack and...Draco.

Who would be most likely to try and kill me? Well, I could tick everyone off that second list. Not so sure about the first one, but it was most likely none of the strangers I saw that day. Perhaps it was Pansy again? If it was, I wouldn't take it so well this time, I might just have to confront and hex her all the way to next week. _Damn it, I'm hungry... _I thought to myself, encouraging me to try again and open my eyes, or at least stop thinking such infuriating thoughts.

I attempted to drag my eyelids up to open my eyes again, and was some what successful. It felt like my eyelashes were glued together...wait, perhaps they _were_! Perhaps it _was _Pansy and when she found out that I hadn't died, she came in here and glued my eyelashes shut. Why would she do that though? Perhaps, she was stood right next to me _right now_, waiting for me to wake up and struggle to get my eyes open and then BAM, she kills me. Whilst laughing. Ugh, that wasn't a very nice thought. What was wrong with me? I was going crazy! But, what if it was true? I cringed. Oh no, damn it! If she was there, she would have just seen me cringe and know I was awake. I waited for the laughter to start then the green light as she exclaims the Killing Curse.

"I know you're there..." I grumble, my voice sounds husky from misuse. Huh, so I'm gonna sound like a bloke when I die? Thanks, God.

"Who? Me? Yeah, I'm here..." A man's voice answered back. Wow, I always knew that Pansy looked like a man, but now she even sounds like one! Or maybe she's had a sex change... Even though I hate her, that is one tough decision, I have a teeny weenie inkling of respect for her now.

"Um, hi... Congratulations, by the way, that was very brave. I mean sure, I wouldn't wanna be a guy, but whatever floats your boat, Parkinson." I say nervously, trying to get her to reconsider the whole' kill Maya' thing, that won't be too fun for me.

"She's delirious..." I heard the man voice say again, only a bit further away. Who was Pansy talking to? Cuz that was definitely the same voice. Oh my god, what if she, well I suppose I should think of her as a he now, _he_ brought along someone else, like Death Eaters... Oh no, I'm so done for... Actually no, why would I be done for? I'm a half blood, they don't have nothing against them, do they? Unless they want to kill me because I associate with muggles. OK, as I said before, I'm done for. When I used to say Kieran, Aunty Lyn and Uncle Dennis would be the death of me, I was only exaggerating. _Now_, I could tell everyone up in heaven that my aunt, uncle and cousin was the cause of my death, without exaggerating! Golly gosh, that's dream come true. See, even on my death bed, I can still me sarcastic! Ha, suck on that You-Know-Who! I bet you've never had one of _these _before. Haha...ha...ha... Now, I'm _really_ hungry!

_Right, shove this, kill me if you like Pansy, but before you do, I need a pumpkin pasty _I thought, trying to transmit it to her... um him... mentally.

I tried opening my eyes again. And it worked, but I kinda wish it didn't... It was so bright, I quickly had to shut my eyes against the glaring light. Damn it, that was so inconsiderate! Perhaps they should TURN THE LIGHT DOWN! People could get waking up confused with dying: '_don't go into the light_' and all that jazz...

I attempted it again, but this time forced my lids to stay up despite the fact that my eyes began to water. I saw a blurry room (or was it blurry because of the tears in my eyes? Because I've never seen a blurry room before...) and on the wall opposite me was sickly sweet and painfully cheerful picture of a rabbit grinning, ear to ear, holding a daisy (which was smiling! EEK!), under gold curly writing saying: Get Well Soon. I think I might puke.

"Maya?" I groggily turned my head. Sav was sat there, Jack behind her and Draco was leaning on the wall just beside the picture I'd been criticising. He was had a frown upon his face which masked some of his good looks...but not all of them. Flicking my gaze back towards Sav, I admired jealously how she still managed to look amazing with her mascara in ugly streams down her face and her eyes red and puffy. I felt a searing hatred towards her, ignoring the little poking in the back of my mind saying: _she was scared for you, why do you hate her? That's not fair, no don't say anything... no, no, NO, DON'T!_

"You bitch." I sneered at her. The voice reared it's ugly head again: _Oh, you just went and SAID SOMETHING! You idiot! I told you not to!_

"What?" Sav gasped. Couldn't she understand why I hated her? Couldn't she—

"That's the dark magic talking, ignore her." Draco muttered darkly. What? What was his problem? What dark magic anyway?

"Huh?" I asked him, cocking one eyebrow. Now that he had said that to Sav and Jack, I didn't really feel any of the hatred and fury I'd previously felt.

"We're just gonna go join Mr and Mrs Moore and get something to eat in the canteen, we'll be back in about an hour or so..." Jack told Draco, refusing to look at me before gently steering Sav, who was looking at me with big eyes, away.

"Maya..." Draco sighed, shoving himself off the wall to take the seat that Sav had just deserted "you're delusional and confused because of the dark magic I had to use on you to get the necklace off."

"Oh." Realization dawned on me. The negative feelings were gone. I only felt gratitude towards Sav, no hatred.

"Oh, my goodness, I was so _horrible _to her, she looks like she's been here, worried, and I just snapped at her!" Tears sprang into my eyes causing me to sniffle. I fiercely wiped the tears away.

"It wasn't you. It was the dark magic. Your moods are going to be up and down for a few more days until the magic has worn off." He wouldn't look at me, he just stared at the floor.

"Oh, right..." I sniffled again, "so what happened to the necklace, how was it cursed?" I asked, trying to sound strong and confidant, the complete opposite of what I was feeling inside.

Suddenly, Draco scraped his chair back and stood up, making me jump. He started pacing the little room: up, down, up, down... He did that for awhile, the muttering under his breath was the only noise. About five minutes after, he turned to look at me. His face was crunched up in a grimace, pain shining in his silver eyes.

"M-my father cursed the necklace and sent it to you..." He whispered.

My mind went blank.

"Maya? Are you alright should I get a healer?" Draco fretted making snap out of my thoughts.

"Wha...? No, why?" I queried, curiousity masking my face.

"Well, you didn't talk or blink, and your heart machine went crazy..." He explained, still with a worried look on his face.

"I was just thinking... So daddy dearest wants me dead, huh? That's nice..."

"Maya..." Draco warned, throwing me a disapproving look.

"Sorry..." I mumbled before clearing my throat and saying more clearly, "So why?"

"Ugh!" He groaned, dragging his fingers through his hair.

"Draco?" I encouraged.

"H-he doesn't like our _relationship_."

"Oh, how does he know the genre of our _relationship_?" I demanded, not mad at him, but _furious _at Mr Malfoy.

"Inside source apparently, he sent me a letter..." He informed me before retrieving a thick envelope from his back pocket. He handed it out over to me. I just stared at it, wondering why he was giving it to me.

"Uh, what should I do with it?" I asked him, slightly offended when he chuckled.

"You _read _it, Maya." He said to me as if he was speaking to a toddler. _Ohh, hehe, stupid question huh?_

"But it's your business, Draco." I answered in the same tone.

"It concerns _you_, so it's your business too." I left it like that and pulled the parchment out of the envelope. There was hardly anything on there. Just a few sentences. Before I read anything, I realized that the person who wrote this letter was the same person who tried to kill me, who wanted me dead. Nice thought.

_Draco,_

_You need to decide where your loyalties lie. I have heard from a useful source that you are still close with that filthy muggle-loving Gryffindor. I will not accept this humiliation brought to my name or family. As you probably know, I have indeed sent an heirloom to your little friend. It was cursed, so she is know either dead (good riddance) or you committed a crime to save her. You will now avoid her and any other alliances with the other side. I have young William McMillan watching all your movement, so be warned, you are with surveillance._

_Father_

William McMillan? Will? _Will? _Sav's brother? Oh Merlin!

In one swooping moment, I remembered what Sav had been talking about back on that fateful day at Hogsmeade. I finally understood!

**DAY OF THE BALL, BACK IN HOGSMEADE**

"_No, he and Will have Quidditch practice." She answered lightly but there was a slight tightening of her eyes as she said her brother's name._

"_What is it?" I asked curiously._

"_It's just Will, he's made a decision that I don't agree with, that's all." Sav answered shortly. I decided to drop it as it was clear that she didn't want to discuss it._

"_How is it with Jack though? Are you just going to the Ball together or is it like the start of a relationship, do you think?" _

"_I hope that it will develop into something more because, even if I haven't been here very long, I think he's a really nice guy. He's someone who is good for me and the kind of guy I would like to end up being with." She answered and a slight flush appeared on her cheeks. _

"_Hmm, deep." I noted. They were a good couple and he was a nice guy. After the obvious I'm-sorry-I-don't-know-your-name conversation, he didn't forget my name, he occasionally hung out with us. He was really cheerful and always made me laugh, which was nice._

"_What about you, do you even like Will?"She smirked._

"_Do you want the truth or a lovely lie?" I asked timidly._

**BACK TO PRESENT**

Oh my god! Will was a Death Eater!


	14. Chapter 14

_Dear Diary,_

_I've been stuck in this bloody hospital room for a month now, but by the sounds of it, I shouldn't be in here much longer now. Apparently, the dark magic has worn off now and I have fully recovered. I'm being transferred to Hogwarts Hospital Wing this afternoon. It'll be a relief to stare at different walls for once. But I'm only going to be there for a maximum of 7 days, hopefully less. Healer Scotts said that even though I was fully recovered, I still need to stay supervised by a healer for an extra week to make sure the delusions would stay awy, along with the mood swings. And to check on my eating and sleeping routines. Stupid, I say. I would have been worried about my schoolwork, since I have missed three weeks, but the teachers have been giving my work to either Lizzie or Sav._

_But the fact that I have so much time on my hands gives me more time to think through the revelation that Will is now a Death Eater. When I read Draco's letter from his father, I didn't believe it at first. It was just such a shock! I don't understand what made him drastic enough to go down I down _that _path. What very little respect I had for him after what he did to me the night of the Ball, has now definitely vanished. I can't understand why anyone would willingly join You-Know-Who's followers: he's a psycho! Of course, I would never say that aloud, not during these times anyway._

I put my diary under my pillow when I heard a knock on the door. Healer Scotts was stood in the doorway.

"Good Morning, Maya, how are you today?" She asked politely.

"Fine, thanks. When do I leave for Hogwarts?"

"Well, as soon as you've had some lunch and you've had one final check up, you'll be taken by portkey to Professor Dumbledore's office." Dr Scotts pulled my blankets from where they were tangled around my feet. She shook them out before putting them back over the bed.

I was really looking forward to going back to Hogwarts, and the people that it meant I could see on a daily basis.

I felt as though a hook just behind my navel had been jerked irresistibly forwards. My feet had left the ground and I was speeding forward in a howl of wind and swirling colour; my forefinger stuck to the empty potion bottle, that was my portkey, as though it was pulling me magnetically onwards until—

My feet landed on solid ground, causing my knees to buckle. I felt a firm grip on my elbow, keeping me from falling. When my vision had stopped swaying, I acknowleged that I was in the Headmaster's office.

And there he was, sat behind his desk on the throne like chair, elbows on the wooden desktop, fingers steepled. He peered at me over the rim of his half moon glasses, electric blue eyes shining.

"Hello, Miss Moore." Professor Dumbledore greeted.

"Hello, Headmaster, how are you today?" I asked politely whilst nodding at Proffesor Snape, the one who had grabbed my arm.

"Very well, thank you." He replied, smiling.

"Hello, Professor Snape." He returned the greeting with a quick nod.

"Now, I asked your friend Savannah to come collect you, but it appears that's she running a little late." Dumbledore explained to me whilst picking up an intricately decorated silver bowl. "Sherbert Lemon, dear?"

"Please." I answered, taking one of the offered yellow gem-like sweets from the bowl and popping it in my mouth.

There was a loud knock at the door and Sav popped her head in.

"Hello Professors Dumbledore and Snape, how are you this very cold day?" She asked in her eccentric way, hairing sticking up everywhere.

"Very well, Miss McMillan, very well indeed." Dumbledore replied, chuckling.

"Well, I'd better go then, bye!" I said, waving shyly. But before I turned to go, I noticed something I'd completely over-looked. Professor Dumbledore's right hand was black, looking either bruised or burned, it wasn't in a very good shape. Perhaps he'd just accidently hurt himself? Ah well, he should go to Madame Pomfrey, just like I was now.

"C'mon Millie!"

I quickly rushed out the door only to be assaulted by Sav giving me a big hug.

"Argh, Sav!" I exclaimed, "What was that for?" I asked once she'd released me.

"I haven't seen you in ages!" I gasped, pretending to be shocked at my ignorance.

"You saw me yesterday." I answered, deadpan.

"Ah, that doesn't count!" She brushed me off.

Sometimes I never understood this girl. Does she have a brain? Perhaps she needs a map to get to it...

"Now that you're back in my care, you'll be better sooner than you can say Gryffindor." Madame Pomfrey muttered to me as she sorted me out with the potions I would need.

"What is actually wrong with me now?" I asked her curiously. I mean sure, I had a bit of dark magic performed on me, how bad could it be?

"Well, there isn't much left for me to do but treat the shock and mood swings. You see, Miss Moore, when struck with dark magic, the side affects can be very different, depending on the curse. If it is a curse that affects mentally, there is a high rate that the victim will have mental scars like nightmares, hallucinations or other mind torture like that. Whereas with physical affecting curses, the most of the time, the victim is physically scarred _as well _as mentally scarred. You have been mentally scarred, but luckily for you, Mr Malfoy was there to rid most of the mental affects, so really all that's wrong with you _now_, is shock."

Wow, long answer.

So it was just shock. Merlin, that's boring.

"Oh, and your mood swings."

Ah, I was used to that. I was a girl, wasn't I? Completely normal...

"So, how long do you think I will be here?" I asked whilst settling myself down on one of the hospital beds.

"Just a week, I expect..." She replied before rushing off to her office, leaving me alone in the enormous, empty, _cold _hospital wing.

"Brilliant..." I mumbled sarcastically before pulling out my Jane Austen bookset that I hadn't finished yet.

Halfway through the book, Northanger Abbey, I was pulled from the world of Catherine Morland and Henry Tilney by the large Hospital Wing doors creaking open. Terrified, I leapt out of the bed and quickly ducked behind it so that I was out of sight from the intruder.

"Uh, Maya?" I peeked up over the blankets to see that it was only Draco.

"Phew, you scared me!" I exclaimed, giddy with relief as I climbed back onto the bed.

"Why?" He asked cautiously making his way over and pulling up a chair.

"I was just reading Northanger Abbey." I explained before continuing when he raised his eyebrow, "well, the main character, Catherine Morland goes to stay at Northanger Abbey with Mr and Miss Tilney and she thinks that the place is haunted or something. And well, then the doors creaked and I guess I was still in the world of Jane Austen..."

"Oh. How are you feeling?" He changed the subject, probably thinking that I was a nutter.

"I'm fine, I just wish I could leave." I pouted.

"Hmmm, I came to talk to you about something before curfew."

"Huh?" I glanced out the windows and noticed it was indeed quite late, how did I not notice the light change from sun light to candle light? Was I that oblivious?

"Sorry, I just didn't realise it was that late, carry on." I hastened to add.

"Well, I wanted to let you know about something…" He paused for a lengthly time, causing me to become impatient.

"Yes…?" I encouraged him.

"I-I've chosen my side."

"What?" I demanded, fearing the worst. _Please Merlin, let him say that he's chosen a Quidditch and team and not… that. Please say Quidditch…_

"My side on the war." _Bugger, he did just say that didn't he? _

"No, you haven't." I retorted, shaking my defiantly.

"Yes, Maya, I have." He argued more forecefully.

"What side then, Draco? Which side do you support, the good or the bad?" I said, testing his limits.

"That depends on your judgement of good and bad." He muttered.

"Don't be an idiot!" I almost shouted, getting flustered now. He had to be kidding. I knew what he meant even though he hadn't said._ I_ was no idiot.

"I'm not! I'm not being an idiot, Maya! I'm choosing a side! And I choose the winning side. I will not let that Pothead be my hero, I don't need _him _to save my ass." Draco exploded.

"_What are you on about?_"

"I've chosen my side, now I just want you to leave me alone. No more Gryffindors, no more allies with the enemy."

"Draco, don't. Just stop and think about this." I practically begged.

"No, good bye, Maya." His chair scraped against the floor and he started walking to the door. Before he was halfway, I called out.

"Thank you."

"For what?" He answered without turning.

"For saving my life… with dark magic." I told his back. I saw the muscles tense, then sag as he carried on his way to the door.

Then he was gone and I was left alone: alone with Catherine Morland and Mr Tilney, my only companions for the night.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys! I haven't written a disclaimer in ages! Sorry it took longer than usual! I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed or subscribed to me/My Name Is Maya or added to me to your Favourite Stories/Author. **

**But I am going to ask one thing of you...: PLEASE LEAVE MORE REVIEWS! I have seen how many people have read my story who are members, just please please please leave me a review, even if it is to tell me if you like it/dislike it or to give me advice! By looking up, yup just look up a little... no, not up as in the ceiling, I meant up the page... see there? See the reviews? See the number? We need to make that number bigger! =P**

**I had an interesting review though, someone said that this story is slightly Twilight-reminscent: I suppose it is a little, it's the whole classic leave them whilst loving them, to keep them safe; like hat Edward does. I haven't stolen the idea from Stephenie Meyer, I'm just using the classic LTWLTKTS (haha, see the initials? That is very long...).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognise from the books/films, that all belongs to J K Rowling. Even raco, I hear you ask? Yes, even Draco, though I DID PUT UP A FIGHT!**

**Just so you know and are not confused... This chapter takes place about 6 months after the last chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

_7__th__ June_

_Dear Diary,_

_Something isn't quite right. I can feel it in my gut. As you know, I don't write in hear unless it's a necessity. Right now, I'm in dire need of someone to talk to. Draco left me again. Well, I shouldn't say it like that. We weren't a couple so it can't be considered a break up, despite what Sav thinks. _

_She's determined to be furious at Draco for leading me on like that and then dropping me like this. She refuses to look at him, speak to him, acknowledge him or anything. Not that I do. I think that may be why she's doing it: for moral support._

_Jack still speaks to him and the fact that he does is creating a drift between him and Sav. They constantly bicker over that one difference and it's killing me. This was between Draco and I, our business, and their relationship is suffering because of us. I wanted to make Draco pay. Make him realise what's he done, and is still doing, by ignoring me. This pain was mine, and should be mine, so why is it that somehow, I had unintentionally shared it with two of my closest friends?_

_But going back to why I have a bad feeling: it's getting stormier and not only do storms frighten me, they cause damage: a perfect metaphor for what is happening in the world, both Wizarding and Muggle, at the moment._

_But here's something that you can't tell ANYONE else, okay? I know you won't because you're a diary, but STILL! Here it goes:_

_I miss Draco. I miss him so much! I still can't understand why this has happened...again... I haven't spoken to him for about six months now, more or less. Why does he think it's a good idea to leave me? Especially when he knows that I...need him... Are all boys that dense? If so, I might not get myself into a relationship, unless of course Draco changes his mind and runs back to me, confessing his undying love for me... I'll wait for that day, but until then, I'll stay single. I wish I could say that I don't need him, but I would be lying to you and to myself. You never really know what you need in life until you lose it. Does this mean that I like him more than I realise? I don't even understand why I fancy him: he's not particularily kind, is he? I mean...well, he's been wonderful to me. I just still remember when he hit Hermione Granger with that hex that made her teeth like a beavers, I wish I knew that hex... Appparently he had been aiming for Harry Potter, or that's what the rumours said, but he missed and hit Hermione. And I suppose, it's no secret that he hates Harry Potter, he's never told me why. It's one of those subjects that we never brought up. It may highlight the fact we weren't _meant _to be friends, by what happens between our houses: I'd always thought that that tradition was pathetic anyway..._

_Recently I have been noticing that Draco disappears off towards the Room Of Requirement (yes, I knew where that was, I _have _read and memorized _Hogwarts: A History_). I don't talk to him, but sometimes I noticed him disappearingduring Lunchtime, so what did I do? I followed him, diary. He seemed determined not to be followed, so I had to use a charm to stay hidden, don't ask me what it was, Sav did it, wordlessly. He always used to disappear than come back out, looking paler than Professor Binns. I'm so worried about him, I mean, I know he's a Death Eater, and is supposed to do just that: eat...death. Okay, that sounds stupid. But he's meant to kill. Take lives. (They should be called Life Eater because they eat the lives out of people, but You-Know-Who being You-Know-Who, he couldn't have his minions sounding like...like... fluffy bunnies!)_

_I have a case of Frightenedofwhat'stocomeandgrowingup-ingitis. If that isn't actually a illness, it is now and don't argue with me! I feel especially fragile at the moment, as if you look at me the wrong way and I would burst out crying, then get insanely mad and then try and press charges to get you in Azkaban. When you'll then either go insane or get recruited by You-Know-Who and then get your ass kicked by Harry Potter. _

_So yeah, don't look at me the wrong way, or even look at me at all, unless you wanna die._

_I'm too tired to write anymore, so I'll write in here when I find out what Draco is up to._

I woke up suddenly to a crash. Well, I thought there was a crash, but I wasn't so sure. There was complete silence in the dorm, if you ignored the light snores of the other girls.

I laid there for another 10 minutes, listening intently, trying to prove to myself that I wasn't hearing things.

I heard voices downstairs, in the common room. Rushed voices, panicked voices. What was going on? They weren't even trying to stay quiet to make sure that they didn't wake anybody else up. Was it them who made the crash noise? It must have been, what else could have been so loud that it was able to wake me up in one of the tallest towers in the school. Determined that it was the voices downstairs that had awoken me, I settled back down to sleep. I worried that I would be tired the next morning.

Just as I was halfway between consciousness and sleep, there was an ear splitting siren. It made me want to jump out of bed and run away, anything to make it stop.

Suddenly, it stopped, just as randomly as it started. Then there was a voice.

"All students are to report down to the common room immediately."

It was Professor McGonagall. She sounded worried, which was major for her.

I jumped out of bed and pulled my cousin, Rick's jumper over my head, all the while trying to shake Sav awake. She was determined to ignore me. But I wasn't accepting that, not today anyway. The last time we had to get up in the middle of the night was when there was a mass murderer loose in the castle. Oh no Sirey, I was _not _hanging around.

I practically dragged Sav out of her bed and threw a jumper at her without registering who's it was. With Sav complaining the whole way, I dragged her down the stairs and into the common room. Everyone was congregated downstairs, so tightly packed that we had to stay on the Girl's dorms steps. The volume in the room was on maximum, all you could hear was chatter over chatter, and where people couldn't hear their own conversations, they spoke louder and then someone else couldn't hear themselves speak so then they spoke louder. In the end, it was so loud in there that you could have screamed 'Fire' and no one would have taken any notice.

Professor McGonagall was gone and instead, the Head boy and Head girl stood up on a chair each, their faces pale and wands clutched in their hands.

"Quiet!" They Head boy, some guy I didn't know the name of, yelled but he still was loud enough to be heard over the chattering, I was only able to hear as I was stood right next to him. He sighed and pointed his wand at his throat. "Sonorus..." I heard him mutter.

Suddenly, his voice sounded like he was talking into a microphone.

"I said, quiet!" His bellow carried out throughout the common room. Bit by bit, the chatter died away until only silence was left.

"Now, you all need to listen clearly, if you don't your life may be at risk..." Well, that's one way to break the silence. Panicked cries rang through the room, guys yelling, girls worrying.

"I SAID QUIET!" Wow, my ears were ringing. "You need to LISTEN! The protection charms that surrounded Hogwarts have been penetrated, nobody knows who broke them, but what is certain is that _anyone _can enter the Hogwarts grounds now!"

The silence was deafening and tension made my chest tighten, everyone knew what he was implying. He really did mean _anyone_, perhaps even someone like... You-Know-Who. _Oh bugger_.

I searched around, like most of the people in there, for the one person who would care most if You-Know-Who was here. But Harry Potter was nowhere to be seen. My hope was diminishing when I couldn't see him, or his two friends that always helped him, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

Even his girlfriend, Ginny Weasley, wasn't here. Nor was Neville Longbottom, also a friend of theirs. It seemed too set up that everybody close to Harry wasn't here. I started panicking along with everyone else who was here.

"Now, I wnt everybody to understand that it's absolutely FORBIDDEN to leave this common room, is that clear? " There was murmurings of _yes_ fluttering through the room.

"You can't even go up to the dorms. You are to stay in here, _away from the windows_," people who were near the windows practically ran to the other side of the room, "and stay in sight of Violet and I." He gestured towards the Head girl who was chewing nervously on her thumb nail.

"_Finite Incantatum._" His voice went back to a normal level and he began whispering to 'Violet', the Head girl.

I caught just a few words of there very hushed conversation and it was enough to get me shuffling my way towards the portrait hole.

"..._I heard that that Malfoy kid was the reason they were here..."_

Just before I managed to crawl out of the hole, a hand grabbed my elbow.

"_What do you think you're doing?" _Sav hissed into my ear, quietly so nobody else could hear.

"I'm going, Draco's involved..." I struggled to get out her grip; Draco could be getting hurt whilst I stood here having this conversation.

"I'm coming with you then." Sav concluded.

"Oh no, you're not!" I muttered, pulling my arm out of her grasp and I gently pushed her away.

"Hey you there, McMillan, get away from the portrait hole, now!" The Head boy yelled, his voice getting closer.

There was a scramble and I managed to get half way through the portrait hole, far enough into the shadows so that he wouldn't be able to see me, but still be able to see Sav.

"B-but..." Sav stuttered, she was never any good if she thought she was doing something wrong, which was just one of the reasons, one of the least important reasons, that I didn't want her to come with me. Of course the other reason was so that if something went wrong, she wouldn't be involved.

I quietly pushed against the back of the Fat Lady portrait, ignoring when she called out for me to stop.

The corridors were deserted and dark, barely lit by the moonlight that wwas trickling through the old windows. I didn't know where Draco was, but decided to go with my heart, to where I had seen him disappearing recently.

By bare feet made padding noise as I ran through the cold castle, my destination, a certain disappearing door.

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	16. Chapter 16

**Hey guys! So sorry I haven't updated in so long! Also I'd like to thank all the people who have reviewed/added my story to faves/ added me to fave/ subscribed or all! Please leave some feedback and I kinda need some help! But I will tell you more about that at the end of this installment of My Name Is Maya!**

Luckily, before I ran around the last corner, I heard the voices over my own heavy breathing and the my feet hitting the floor continuously. I think because of my fear of this new, stressful situation (where my life may, in fact, be in danger), my hearing had become keener.

"...ssh, Ron!" I heard. I could distinctly tell that it was a female voice, and I could also tell that it was a student, the voice sounding young. I edged closer to the corner and poked my head around the cold stone wall, only to see nothing. The voice had definitely come from this corridor. Maybe the person to whom the voice belonged, was hiding in one of the many alcoves that lined the corridor, like all the corridors of Hogwarts.

The corridor, along with the one that I was in, seemed ghostly, not too different from a scene from one of the many horror movies Lizzie and I had one summer amused ourselves with (and had not touched since, after not sleeping well for two weeks). There were candles in holders every 2 metres, but only one of two were lit, and even then they were lit dimly, allowing thick dark shadows to swallow up parts of the corridor. The perfect places for the many monsters from my childhood to hide. It would not be too surprising if Dracula were to wander along, his shadow ignoring the movements of his body and his feet seemingly not touching the ground.

All of a sudden, under the scrutiny of my watchful eye, the corridor went pitch black. It was darker than the night sky above the castle. What was most unusual was the fact that it was only the other corridor that had lost it's limited light; where I stood was still dimly lit. Nor was any light filtering around the corner to bounce light, albeit a little, into the suddenly darkened room. It was most definitely the work of magic and not just the candles blown out.

I heard footsteps coming my way and silently ducked back around into the still lightened corridor. I tiptoed quickly over to one of the alcoves and pressed my back up against the farthest wall, curling my body into itself to fit, to the best of my ability, into the corner. The cool dampness of the stone walls seeped through my jumper, causing goose bumps to rise along my arms and on my legs.

Closer and closer the footsteps came. They entered my corridor. The candles went out until only a mysterious greyscale light remained. I couldn't figure out where the light was coming from but I had more problems then that at that moment.

A primeval instinct told me that danger was near, and like as if I was a professional at reading into my instincts (which I wasn't), my brain recognised the message and delivered the correct feelings into my body. Panic rose in me, building up until it was almost overflowing and I was on the brink of hysterics.

Stealthily, ghostly bodies ran past me, about a dozen. None noticed me. Until the very last one. They moved slower, quieter. More of a big cat stalking it's prey instead of animal on the defence, charging, like the previous figures. It came within feet of my hiding place. I stifled a gasp when their head swivelled and their eyes _must _have swept over my corner. The gaze locked onto the corner, and they started to move towards me.

The fear was choking me, suffocating me, squeezing my lungs until they had no air left in them. My heart was banging so hard against my ribcage that I feared the cloaked figure approaching me would hear it, as if to confirm their suspicions that their was, indeed, someone hiding in the shadows.

The outline came closer, their face shadowed, frightening me more that I couldn't identify my attacker. The part of my brain that wasn't paralysed by fear was screaming at me to grab my wand, which, cleverly, I had remembered to pick up. But the fear ruled out logic so I stayed frozen, back against the cold wall, goose bumps forgotten. The stranger moved their arm and I automatically winced, but my expression smoothed when I realized they were only reaching into their robes. My face scrunched up into horror when I realised what that implied.

I tried to mentally prepare myself for some sort of pain when a light appeared, right in my face. The intruder drank my appearance as much I did his.

Draco.

"Maya?" He whispered, eyes wide. "What are you doing here?" I noticed some of his emotions fill his eyes, anger, confusion and concern being the most dominant. The silver orbs were shining dimly in the light of his wand.

"I-I was w-worried about you..." I stuttered, still in shock from the people I had just seen stalk past me, fortunately completely oblivious to my presence.

"You're _meant _to be in your Common Room! I advise that you get back over there, _right now_!" Anger swept away the other emotions. His voice, although still a whisper for only his and my ears, rang with authority and, much to my surprise, threat.

"Are you really with them? Are you..." I hesitated, trying to gather my thoughts, "...helping them?" The idea was actually rather painful. He couldn't be helping them, I knew that he _shouldn't_, by surely, he...wouldn't? I remembered that he said that he had 'chose his side' but that crap. He didn't actually mean that otherwise... otherwise he wouldn't be whispering to me now, right? He would have alerted the others? Or was I just in denial?

"Maya," His voice was hard, his tone showing no room for negotiations, " I don't want to let them know you're here, as we ar—were friends." He awkwardly cleared his throat, ignoring his slip up. Distantly in my mind, subconsciously almost, my mind winced at the use of past tense.

"Now you have to swear that you won't let anybody know what you've seen in the past few minutes, otherwise, you'll be on their hit list, and they will get revenge for it, so use your common sense and self-preservation, go back to your Common Room." Again the coldness leaked into his voice. For the first time, the cold-hearted, rash Draco was in front of me, focussing on me. Usually it was aimed at someone else.

"But—

"Please, Maya..." He whispered weakly, as if all the strength, courage along with the coldness had drained out of his body. And he was back to _my _Draco, not _their_ Draco, as in the Death Eater side of things, but _my _Draco, the one who has saved my life on two separate occasions.

"Alright..." I gave in.

So suddenly that I didn't even register it until he was stalking, seemingly gliding, down the corridor, he swooped down and kissed me chastely on the lips.

The air whooshed out of my lungs as, dazed, my fingertips brushed feather light over my lips as if to as if to seal the kiss onto my lips forever.

His words came back to my mind, one by one.

_You're meant to be in your Common Room! I advise you get back there, right now!_

Draco would only ever spoke like that if there really was danger. I decided to take his advice. That would probably be a good idea. It took me longer than usual to get my legs to move, to take the few steps that would take me into the corridor, still only lit by the mysterious grey light, where Death Eaters had strolled past not but minutes ago.

Quietly, I crept back around the corners and took the same direction as Draco before me, going back towards the Entrance Hall to get to the stairs that would eventually take me to Gryffindor's Portrait Hole. Through deserted corridors I strolled, not particularly in any rush to get back. I was still numb with shock with the kiss that Draco had so generously gave me.

Just as I was creeping across the Entrance Hall, I heard it. The shuffling whisper of someone approaching. I froze, once again, the fear setting deep into my bones and muscles, preventing me from moving. There it was again. Shuffle shuffle.

I whipped my wand out, lightening fast. I must have had it in the waistband of my pyjama bottoms the whole time, even though I couldn't remember putting it there. I must have down it by habit, but thank Merlin for that.

I walked backwards until my jumper covered back was once again making contact with a cold stone wall. Where my head was directed, for the second time that night, at the shuffling footsteps approaching, I hadn't noticed the suit armour that stood up straight, proud and dignified. That was until I tiptoed backwards, straight into it. It crashed to the ground, the noise echoed throughout the Entrance Hall, obnoxiously, like as if it was just insuring that the intruder heard me and could be lead by the sound to my destination.

I grimly watched at the helmet of a once soldier, rolled and rolled, further and further away from it's body (which was now in pieces on the floor that I wouldn't even want to try and put back together). It looked sad and all it majesty was taken away. It didn't seem proud no more, or courageous, or special...

"Excuse me..."

I jumped and spun quickly, the lolling head forgotten. My wand was trained upon the speaker, who actually turned out to be what looked like a fifth year, in similar attire to my own: pyjamas with a jumper thrown over top. Even our stances were the same, my wand on him and his aimed at me. He looked younger than me and that gave me confidence, no trouble from this kid.

"Are you alright?" I asked him gently, lowering my wand. I felt reassured doing this, as I probably had quicker reflexes than him, and I was learning non-verbal spells at the moment in DADA.

"Yeah, I just don't know what's going on..." He said, sounding lost.

"It's going to be alright, what's your name?" I asked calmly, even though I want to scream '_Run for your life, kiddo!'. _He didn't need to be troubled with things out of his control.

"Craig," he replied, "you?"

"My name is Maya."

"Ravenclaw." He replied when I asked him what house he was in.

Well, then, I couldn't just leave him here and it probably wasn't best to be walking through the corridors at the moments anyway, not with the genre of visitors Hogwarts was entertaining tonight. I grabbed hold of the boy's sleeve and pulled him over to an alcove and backed us up until we were completely in the shadows.

"What are we doing?" Craig asked, panic in his voice.

"Hiding."

"From who?"

"People." I replied hesitantly, trying not to lie.

"Well duh, but who?" It sounded like he was rolling his eyes, ungrateful brat. Was I that sarcastic and 'witty' when I was his age, 12 or 13? I hope not.

"Actually not 'well duh', it could have been a dog, or a cat..." I said, trying to evade the subject.

"A cat?" Even though I'd only knew him for a couple of minutes, I could already tell that he was using his 'are you crazy?' voices. Odd, that. "_Let's all run away from the kitty cat, otherwise it will _EAT US!" He cried in a girly voice.

"Nuh huh, Mister, you did no—" I stopped mid sentences, ears trying to perk like they would have back in the Stone Age if danger was near.

"What?" Craig asked, sounding rather worried.

"Sshhh!" I hissed quietly. I dragged him down into a crouch and motioned for him to curl into a ball, in the dim light coming from the large windows by the Entrance doors. I followed suit, curling myself together tightly but peeking out between my arms.

Now, in the renewed silence, I heard the creeping clearer. I leaned over to Craig and whispered in his ear.

"There's somebody there, but you must not let them know we're here."

It only occured to me once the cloaked figure looked into the alvoce and spotted us that I realised that I could have put a disullusion charm on us. I was a slow thinker today.

"Alright, Will?" The figure said. But it seemed like he was talking to us.

"Yeah, I'm good."

Huh? I looked over at Craig, only to see it wasn't Craig. He had changed. He had become taller, more musclure, his hair had darkened and trailed down to his shoulders. His eyes were now sparkling, blue, in the little light. He had aged. He was Will.

"B-but..." I stuttered. I suddenly recognised the fact that I was in between two Death Eaters, one I didn't know and one I knew too well. The one who I knew too well, had a reasons to hurt me, that wasn't good.

"Why, hello Maya, fancy seeing you here!" Will said sarcastically, grinning fiercely.

"What do you want? How did you do that?" I rushed out, my words mashing into a big mess. He seemed to understand though.

"Ah, I guess the secret is out now. You see, I'm a metamorphmagus. Surely you know what that is?"

"Of course she does." A new voice added to the conversation. It was a voice that was so distinct and clear, that even though the other death eater didn't know who it was, unlike Will and I, he stopped to see who it was.

"Now I suggest you leave." The newcomer said again.

The other death eater went to strike the person down, but Will grabbed his wand arm and whispered something in hs ear. All I caught was 'Dark Lord' between the breathy words.

So suddenly it startled me, the other death eater and Will ran off, through the Entrance doors, out into the cold air.

**So what do you think? Please let me know!**

**Now, I needsome wonderful advice off of you lovely readers:**

**Should I finish the story at the end of Maya's sixth year and then an epilogue? Or should I go through her seventh year and no epilogue?**

**Just let me know what you think in a review.**

**Thanks very much!**

**thats_all_you_know**

**xxxx**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hiya! Now PLEASE don't kill me for taking so long to write and upload such a short chapter. I've been busy, but that's no excuse. So I am so sorry! Please enjoy. I am, however, not going to be doing the whole of her Seventh Year otherwise I fear that I will abandon this story. So I am going to do the war, whether that be 1 chapter or 2 I don't know yet, and an epilogue. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters that you recognise.**

**Please enjoy!**

Grabbing hands, we ran towards the Gryffindor common room. Before we reached the portrait hole, Sav grabbed my arm.

"In all seriousness, if you _ever _make me run out of portrait hole like that again, I will seriously kick your ass.." She said, looking me straight in the eyes.

"Savvie, I am so sorry. It was so selfish of me to worry you like that, you really didn't need follow me, you should have stayed where it was safe..." I looked down guiltily.

"What? No, I meant drag me out of the lovely warm Common Room in the middle of the bloody night! I don't actually think it was dangerous though..." She said, looking thoughtfully out the window.

"Oh, Sav—

"Hey, what's that?" She interupted me. I looked out the window in exasperation, expecting to see an owl. I was taken back when I saw in the sky, a snake slithering through the mouth of a skull. The Dark Mark.

"Sav, that's the—

"Dark Mark." She finished for me. I ignored the fact that she once again had interrupted me, this matter was too serious to be worried about that.

"That means someone's been killed." She muttered, looking pale.

"They could be just trying to make a point, or just trying to scare us."

"Let just get in the common room," Sav turned towards the portrait of the Fat Lady to find an empty frame, "or not."

"We'll just hide somewhere, c'mon on..." I dragged towards the closest shortcut, behind a portrait of three monks snoring their drunken heads off.

We sat in silence, wondering who could have been the victim this time, to join the thousands of others murdered by You-Know-Who.

An echo of the week before, Sav and I sat side by side in silence. That night when we had seen the Dark Mark seemed like months ago, the damage done that night had changed our lives, along with all the other people that had looked to Albus Dumbledore as a candle shining during a time of darkness. You never really understand what danger you were in when you were at Hogwarts, in never really registered, despite all the people who had died. That was because of our beloved headmaster. He made you feel safe, made Hogwarts feel safe, he was the hope in so many people's lives that it felt completely wrong to have to hide him away in the marble tomb that they had created to stay within the Hogwarts grounds. It just felt... disrespecting. For all the good that Dumbledore had done, he should have become a part of the sky, the heavens, somewhere where he wasn't hidden. But really, if anything right could have happened, Dumbledore wouldn't be lying, breathing no more, in a tomb. And the majority of the students of Hogwarts, along with staff, and aquintances of Dumbledore's wouldn't be sitting on chairs in on such a wonderful day for the memorial for such a great man.

The day was clear, hiding the darkness in the world at that moment, so the lovely weather felt wrong, despite it being summertime. Normally, I would have started my packing by now, getting ready to go home, perhaps that's what I would be doing now, had this not happened. Or perhaps I would have been somewhere out here on the grounds, reading one of the many books from the Library, or doing homework.

You could feel the sorrow in the air, it was just as present and noticed as the birdsong that lulled innocently, out of place. In rows of white chairs that ran in rows alongside the lake, hundreds of people sat ready to pay their last goodbyes to Professor Dumbledore. Most of them I recognized by sight, such as one of the band members of the Weird Sisters, the barman from the Hogs Head, the driver of the Knight Bus and the witch who pushed the trolley on the Hogwarts Express. All the students of Hogwarts, along with the teachers and even the ghosts (even though you couldn't see them very well) occupied two thirds of the chairs provided, most of the girls had tears streaming down their faces, the boys were either crying discreetly or remained stony-faced.

Suddenly, through the whispers that sounded like a breeze in the grass, I heard music, strange, otherworldly music, and I swivelled my head, trying to pinpoint where it was coming from. Sav squeezed my hand, to get my attention.

"It's coming from over there." She whispered, pointing in the direction of the lake.

I leaned forward so I could see past the last few people in our row to see the lake. With a jolt and a sprinkling of fear, I noticed the faces, pallid with purplish hair gently floating around them.

"What are they?" I whispered, more to myself than anyone else.

"They're merpeople, they're not dangerous though." Sav whispered again, looking fascinated with the creatures.

"They look creepy..." I muttered. Their music was sending shivers down my spine. It was unpleasant, it was just a bit eery.

"Hmm, I s'pose so, they aren't _nearly _as bad as what I reading about the other day. They were called _Inferi_ , now _they _were creepy."

I looked over at Sav. Sometimes you don't really get much about a person until you've been through certain experiences with them. And sometimes, you can overlook little details in people that could build up to make a whole new side of their personality. I never really knew that Sav would have been able to name a creature like she did with merpeople, or tell me about what sounded like a seriusly creepy thing. I didn't even know Sav read and took things in like that. Perhaps I underestimated her; she make like clothes and make up, and do some seriously silly things, but she wasn't an idiot.

"What?" Sav was looking uncomfortable and was fidgeting on her chair.

"Huh?"

"You've been staring at me. Does my hair look OK? Oh Merlin, is my make up smudged?"

"No and no. When did you read that about the _Inferni_— or whatever it was?"

"It's _Inferi_, no 'n'."

"Well, whatever."

Sav just shrugged, raising one delicate shoulders before dropping it again.

"Huh." I mumbled, still a little bewildered that she would know something like that.

"It's sad that this is how we're ending our sixth year, isn't it? It really is crap that Dumbledore was murdered by those good for nothing—

"Yeah." I cut her off. No need for her to go insulting the murderers who could turn up at this school in less than ten sconds. I'd been reading up, in the Daily Prophet. It's hard to find though, I can tell you. But really, the only reason why Hogwarts hadn't been bombarded with murders like everywhere else in the country was because of Dumbledore. So by letting Sav finish that sentence might _not _be a good idea.

The service finished by people crying in sorrow, and Hagrid, well, howling in sorrow. But, now that Dumbledore was gone, the only one that You-Know-Who was scared of, what was gonna stop him? All are hopes were left in Harry Potter, and I hope, for his sake, that he succeeds, otherwise the world was kinda doomed.

**Please review, even if it is to shout at me for taking so long (I'd prefer if you _didn't _do that, but ya know, I've been bad, I need to accept the consequences.).**

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